The intervention agency designated by each of the Member States shall, under conditions to be determined, buy in at the intervention price top quality skimmed milk powder made in an approved undertaking in the Community by the spray process and obtained from cow’s milk produced in the Community, which is offered to it during the period from 1 March to 31 August and which:

• meets a minimum protein content of 34,0 % by weight of the fat free dry matter,

• meets preservation requirements to be laid down,

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

The intervention price shall be that in force on the day of manufacture of the skimmed milk powder and shall apply to skimmed milk powder delivered to the store designated by the intervention agency. Flat-rate transport costs shall be borne, under conditions to be fixed, by the intervention agency if the skimmed milk powder is delivered to a store situated at a distance greater than a distance to be determined from the place where the skimmed milk powder was in store.

The skimmed milk powder may only be stored in stores meeting conditions to be fixed.

The Commission may suspend the buying in of skimmed-milk powder provided for in paragraph 1 as soon as the quantities offered for intervention in the period from 1 March to 31 August each year exceed 109 000 tonnes.

In that case buying-in by the intervention agencies may be carried out under an open standing invitation to tender on the basis of specifications to be determined.

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Skimmed milk powder bought in by the intervention agency 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 skimmed milk powder to be sold.

Where the skimmed milk powder 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 skimmed milk powder kept in public storage which cannot be disposed of during a milk year under normal conditions, special measures may be taken.

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