In the event of Articles 67, 68, 69, 70 and 71 beingapplied, the integrated system shall incorporate a system forthe identification and registration of animals set up inaccordance, on the one hand, with Regulation (EC) No1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Councilof 17 July 2000 establishing a system for the identificationand registration of bovine animals21 and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products and, on the other hand,with Council Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 of 17 December2003 establishing a system for the identification and registrationof ovine and caprine animals22.

The computerised data base shall record, for each agricultural holding, the data obtained from aid applications.

F1This data base shall, in particular, allow direct and immediate consultation, through the competent authority of the Member State, of the data relating to the calendar and/or marketing years starting from the year 2000 and, for aid granted under Chapter 10b of Title IV, from 1 May 1998.

The Member States may set up decentralised data bases on condition that these, and the administrative procedures for recording and accessing data, are designed homogeneously throughout the territory of the Member State and are compatible with one another in order to allow cross-checks.

The identification system for agricultural parcels shall be established on the basis of maps or land registry documents or other cartographic references. Use shall be made of computerised geographical information system techniques including preferably aerial or spatial orthoimagery, with a homogenous standard guaranteeing accuracy at least equivalent to cartography at a scale of 1:10000.

For the Member states applying the aid for olive groves provided for in Chapter 10b of Title IV, the identification system shall include a geographical information system for olive cultivation, consisting of a computerised alphanumerical database and a computerised graphical reference database for olive trees and areas concerned.

Member States not applying the aid for olive groves provided for in Chapter 10b of Title IV may decide to include the geographical information system for olive cultivation referred to in paragraph 2 in the identification system for agricultural parcels.

The system for the identification and registration of payment entitlements shall be set up allowing verification of entitlements and cross-checks with the aid applications and the identification system for agricultural parcels.

This system shall allow direct and immediate consultation, through the competent authority of the Member State, of the data relating to at least the previous three consecutive calendar and/or marketing years.

Each year, a farmer shall submit an application for direct payments subject to the integrated system, indicating, where applicable:

• all agricultural parcels of the holding,

• F3in the case of an application for the aid for olive groves provided for in Chapter 10b of Title IV, or where the Member State is applying the option referred to in Article 20(3), the number of olive trees and their positioning in the parcel,

• the number and amount of payment entitlements,

• any other information provided for by this Regulation or by the Member State concerned.

A Member State may decide that the aid application needs to contain only changes with respect to the aid application submitted the previous year. A Member State shall distribute pre-printed forms based on the areas determined in the previous year and supply graphic material indicating the location of those areas and, where appropriate, the positioning of olive trees.

A Member State may decide that a single aid application shall cover several or all support schemes listed in Annex I or other support schemes.

Member States shall carry out administrative checks on the aid applications including a verification of the eligible area and the corresponding payment entitlements.

Administrative checks shall be supplemented by a system of on-the-spot checks to verify eligibility for the aid. For this purpose, Member States shall draw up a sampling plan of agricultural holdings.

Member States may use remote sensing techniques as a means to carry out on-the-spot checks on agricultural parcels.

Each Member State shall designate an authority responsible for coordinating the checks provided for in this Chapter.

Where the Member State provides for the delegation of some aspects of the work to be carried out under this Chapter to specialised agencies or firms, the designated authority shall retain control over, and responsibility for, that work.

Without prejudice to reductions and exclusions provided for in Article 6 of this Regulation, where it is found that the farmer does not comply with the eligibility conditions relevant to the granting of the aid as provided for in this Regulation or by Article 2a of Regulation (EC) No 1259/1999, the payment or part of the payment granted or to be granted for which the conditions of eligibility have been meet shall be subject to reductions and exclusions to be laid down in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 144(2) of this Regulation.

The percentage of reduction shall be graduated according to the severity, extent, permanence and repetition of the non-compliance found and may go as far as total exclusion from one or several aid schemes for one or more calendar years.

Member States shall carry out on-the-spot-checks to verify whether the farmer complies with the obligations referred to in Chapter 1.

Member States may make use of their existing administration and control systems to ensure compliance with the statutory management requirements and good agricultural and environmental condition referred to in Chapter 1.

F2These systems, and notably the system for identification and registration of animals set up in accordance with Directive 92/102/EEC, Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 and Council Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 establishing a system for the identification and registration of ovine and caprine animals and amending Regulation (EEC) No 1782/2003, shall be compatible, within the meaning of Article 26 of this Regulation, with the integrated system.

The Commission shall be kept regularly informed of the application of the integrated system.

It shall organise exchanges of views on this subject with the Member States.

After informing the competent authorities concerned in good time, authorised representatives appointed by the Commission may carry out:

• any examination or control relating to the measures taken in order to establish and to implement the integrated system,

• checks at the specialised agencies and firms referred to in Article 23(3).

Officials of the Member State concerned may take part in such checks. The aforementioned powers to carry out checks shall not affect the application of national law provisions which reserve certain acts for officials specifically designated by national law. The authorised representatives appointed by the Commission shall in particular not participate in home visits to or the formal interrogation of suspects under the national law of the Member State. They shall, however, have access to the information obtained thereby.

Without prejudice to the responsibilities of the Member States for the implementation and application of the integrated system, the Commission may seek the assistance of specialised bodies or persons in order to facilitate the establishment, monitoring and utilisation of the integrated system, in particular with a view to providing the competent authorities of the Member States with technical advice, should they request it.