Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 (repealed)Show full title

Article 123 U.K. Special premium

1. A farmer holding male bovine animals on his holding may qualify, on application, for a special premium. It shall be granted in the form of an annual premium per calendar year and per holding within the limits of regional ceilings for not more than 90 animals for each of the age brackets referred to in paragraph 2.

2. The special premium shall be granted no more than:

(a) once in the life of each bull from the age of nine months, or

(b) twice in the life of each steer:

• (b) the first time at the age of nine months,

• the second time after it has reached the age of 21 months.

3. To qualify for the special premium:

(a) any animal covered by an application shall be held by the farmer for fattening for a period to be determined,

(b) each animal shall be covered until slaughter or until export by an animal passport referred to in Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000 establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products(1) containing all relevant information on its premium status or, if not available, an equivalent administrative document.

4. When in a given region the total number of bulls from the age of nine months and of steers from nine months to 20 months of age, for which an application has been made and which satisfy the conditions for granting the special premium exceeds the regional ceiling referred to in paragraph 8, the number of all eligible animals under paragraph 2(a) and (b) per farmer for the year in question shall be reduced proportionately.

Within the meaning of this Article, ‘regional ceiling’ shall mean the number of animals entitled to benefit, in a region and per calendar year, from the special premium.

5. By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 and 4, Member States may:

• on the basis of objective criteria that are part of a rural development policy and only on the condition that they take into account environmental as well as employment aspects, change or waive the headage limit of 90 animals per holding and age bracket, and,

• where exercising this power, decide to apply paragraph 4 in such a way as to reach the level of reductions required to comply with the applicable regional ceiling, without applying such reductions to small farmers who, in respect of the year in question, did not submit special premium applications for more than a minimum number of animals determined by the Member State concerned.

6. Member States may decide to grant the special premium at the time of slaughter. In this case, for bulls the age criterion referred to in paragraph 2(a) shall be replaced by a minimum carcass weight of 185 kilograms.

The premium shall be paid or passed back to the farmers.

The United Kingdom shall be authorised to apply in Northern Ireland a system for granting the special premium which differs from that applied in the remainder of its territory.

7. The amount of the special premium shall be set at:

(a) EUR 210 per eligible bull;

(b) EUR 150 per eligible steer and age bracket.

[F1 8. The following regional ceilings shall apply:

a Without prejudice to the specific rules laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1454/2001.
b Without prejudice to the specific rules laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1452/2001.
c Without prejudice to the specific rules laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1453/2001.
d To be adjusted on the expiry of Regulation (EC) No 1017/94.
e This ceiling shall be temporarily increased by 100 000 to 1 519 811 until such time as live animals under six months of age may be exported.]
Belgium	235 149
Czech Republic	244 349
Denmark	277 110
Germany	1 782 700
Estonia	18 800
Greece	143 134
Spain	713 999 a
France	1 754 732 b
Ireland	1 077 458
Italy	598 746
Cyprus	12 000
Latvia	70 200
Lithuania	150 000
Luxembourg	18 962
Hungary	94 620
Malta	3 201
Netherlands	157 932
Austria	373 400
Poland	926 000
Portugal	175 075 c d
Slovenia	92 276
Slovakia	78 348
Finland	250 000
Sweden	250 000
United Kingdom	1 419 811 e

Textual Amendments

F1 Substituted by Council Regulation (EC) No 583/2004 of 22 March 2004 amending Regulations (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers, (EC) No 1786/2003 on the common organisation of the market in dried fodder and (EC) No 1257/1999 on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) by reason of the accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia to the European Union.

(1)

OJ L 204, 11.8.2000, p. 1.