Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 (repealed)Show full title

Article 6 U.K.

[F1 1. Intervention agencies shall buy in butter as indicated in paragraph 2 at 90 % of the intervention price during the period 1 March to 31 August of any year, on the basis of specification to be determined.

Where the quantities offered for intervention during the abovementioned period exceed 30 000 tonnes in 2008 and onwards, the Commission may suspend intervention buying.

In such cases, buying-in by intervention agencies may be carried out using a standing tendering procedure on the basis of specifications to be determined.]

2. Under paragraph 1, the intervention agencies may only buy in butter produced directly and exclusively from pasteurised cream in an approved undertaking in the Community, and

(a) meet the following requirements:

• (a) a minimum butterfat content, by weight, of 82 % and a maximum water content, by weight, of 16 %,

• an age at the time of buying-in not exceeding a maximum to be fixed,

• conditions to be determined as regards the minimum quantity and packaging;

(b) meet certain requirements to be determined regarding in particular:

• (b) preservation; additional requirements may be laid down by the intervention agencies,

• free fatty acid content,

• peroxide content,

• microbiological standard,

• sensory characteristics (appearance, texture, taste and smell).

[F2 National quality grades to be determined may be shown on the packaging of butter which meets national quality requirements.]

Flat rate transport costs shall be borne, under conditions to be fixed, by the intervention agency if the butter is delivered to a cold store situated at a distance greater than a distance to be determined from the place where the butter was in store.

3. [F1 Aid for private storage shall be granted for:

• unsalted butter produced from cream or milk in an approved undertaking of the Community of a minimum butterfat content, by weight, of 82 %, a maximum milk solids non-fat content, by weight, of 2 % and a maximum water content, by weight, of 16 %,

• salted butter produced from cream or milk in an approved undertaking of the Community of a minimum butterfat content, by weight, of 80 %, a maximum milk solids non-fat content, by weight, of 2 %, a maximum water content, by weight, of 16 % and a maximum salt content, by weight, of 2 %.]

[ F2 . . . . .]

The aid shall be fixed in the light of storage costs and the likely trend in prices for fresh butter and butter from stocks. Where, at the time of removal from storage, an adverse change unforeseeable at the time of entry into storage has occured on the market, the aid may be increased.

Private storage aid shall be subject to the drawing-up of a storage contract concluded, in accordance with provisions to be laid down, by the intervention agency of the Member State on whose territory the [F2 cream or] butter qualifying for the aid is stored.

Where the market situation so requires, the Commission may decide to remarket some or all of the [F2 cream or] butter covered by private storage contracts.

4. Butter bought in by the intervention agencies shall be disposed of at a minimum price and under conditions to be determined so as to avoid disturbing the balance on the market and to ensure purchasers equal treatment and access to the butter to be sold. Where the butter put up for sale is intended for export, special conditions may be laid down to ensure that the product is not diverted from its destination and to take account of requirements specific to such sales.

For butter kept in public storage which cannot be disposed of during a milk year under normal conditions, special measures may be taken. Where warranted by such measures, special measures shall also be taken with a view to maintaining possibilities of disposing of products which were subject to aid as referred to in paragraph 3.

5. The intervention arrangements shall be applied so as to:

• maintain the competitive position of butter on the market,

• safeguard the original quality of the butter as far as possible,

• ensure storage as rationally as possible.

6. For the purposes of this Article:

• ‘milk’ shall mean cow's milk produced in the Community,

• ‘cream’ shall mean cream obtained directly and exclusively from milk.

Textual Amendments

F1 Substituted by Council Regulation (EC) No 1152/2007 of 26 September 2007 amending Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 on the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products.

F2 Deleted by Council Regulation (EC) No 1152/2007 of 26 September 2007 amending Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 on the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products.