The period of grace which the Member States may grant pursuant to Article 5(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 in which to comply with newly introduced standards may not exceed 36 months from the date on which the standard becomes mandatory for the farmer. The end of the investment period referred to in Article 5(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 shall fall within the period of grace as fixed in the first paragraph.
The period of grace as fixed in the first paragraph shall not apply to applications for support introduced before 7 May 2004.
1.For the purposes of Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999, the existence of normal market outlets shall be assessed at the appropriate level in terms of:
(a)the products concerned;
(b)the types of investment;
(c)existing and planned capacity.
2.Any restrictions on production or limitations on Community support under common market organisations shall be taken into account.
3.Where a common market organisation places restrictions on production or limitations on Community support at the level of individual farmers, holdings or processing plants, no investment shall be supported which would increase production beyond those restrictions or limitations.
Article 4(2) of this Regulation shall also apply to investments made by young farmers.