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CHAPTER IVCHECKS ON PRODUCTS AND NOTIFICATIONS

Article 27Storage of and checks on products

1.The intervention agencies shall ensure that meat covered by this Regulation is so placed and kept in storage as to be readily accessible and in conformity with the provisions of the first paragraph of Article 23.

2.The storage temperature may not rise above – 17 °C.

3.The Member States shall take all measures necessary to ensure satisfactory preservation, in terms of quality and quantity, of the products stored and shall replace damaged packaging immediately. They shall provide for cover against the relevant risks by insurance in the form of either a contractual obligation on storers or comprehensive coverage of the liability borne by the intervention agency. The Member States may also act as their own insurers.

4.During storage, the competent authorities shall conduct regular checks on significant quantities of the products stored following awards under invitations to tender held during the month.

During such checks, any products found not to be in compliance with the requirements as laid down in this Regulation shall be rejected and marked as such. Without prejudice to the application of penalties, the competent authorities shall, if need be, recover payments from the responsible parties.

Such checks shall be conducted by officials who do not receive instructions from the department which buys in the meat.

5.The competent authorities shall take the necessary measures as regards traceability and storage to enable the products stored to be removed from storage and disposed of subsequently as efficiently as possible, having regard in particular to any requirements relating to the veterinary health status of the animals concerned.

Article 28Notifications

1.The Member States shall notify the Commission without delay of any change in the list of intervention centres and, where possible, of their freezing and storage capacity.

2.Within 10 calendar days of completion of each takeover period, the Member States shall notify the Commission by telex or fax of the quantities delivered and accepted into intervention.

3.By the twenty-first day of each month at the latest, the Member States shall notify the Commission in respect of the preceding month of:

(a)the quantities bought in each week and each month, broken down by products and qualities in accordance with the Community scale for the classification of carcasses established by Regulation (EC) No 1183/2006;

(b)the quantities of each boned product covered by contracts of sale concluded in the month concerned;

(c)the quantities of each boned product covered by withdrawal orders or similar documents issued in the month concerned.

4.By the end of each month at the latest, the Member States shall notify the Commission in respect of the preceding month of:

(a)the quantities of each boned product obtained from bone-in beef bought in during the month concerned;

(b)the uncommitted stocks and the physical stocks of each boned product at the end of the month concerned, with details of the length of time the uncommitted stocks have been in storage.

5.For the purposes of paragraphs 3 and 4:

(a)‘uncommitted stocks’ means stocks not yet covered by a contract of sale;

(b)‘physical stocks’ means uncommitted stocks plus stocks covered by a contract of sale but not yet taken over.