Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 (repealed)Show full title

[F1 Article 185f U.K. Contractual relations in the milk and milk products sector

1. If a Member State decides that every delivery of raw milk in its territory by a farmer to a processor of raw milk must be covered by a written contract between the parties and/or decides that first purchasers must make a written offer for a contract for the delivery of raw milk by the farmers, such a contract and/or such an offer for a contract shall fulfil the conditions laid down in paragraph 2.

Where the Member State decides that deliveries of raw milk by a farmer to a processor of raw milk must be covered by a written contract between the parties, it shall also decide which stage or stages of the delivery shall be covered by such a contract if the delivery of raw milk is made through one or more collectors. For the purposes of this Article, a ‘ collector ’ means an undertaking which transports raw milk from a farmer or another collector to a processor of raw milk or another collector, where the ownership of the raw milk is transferred in each case.

2. The contract and/or the offer for a contract shall:

(a) be made in advance of the delivery;

(b) be made in writing; and

(c) include, in particular, the following elements:

(i)

the price payable for the delivery, which shall:

• be static and be set out in the contract, and/or,

• be calculated by combining various factors set out in the contract, which may include market indicators reflecting changes in market conditions, the volume delivered and the quality or composition of the raw milk delivered,

(ii)

the volume of raw milk which may and/or must be delivered and the timing of such deliveries;

(iii)

the duration of the contract, which may include either a definite or an indefinite duration with termination clauses;

(iv)

details regarding payment periods and procedures;

(v)

arrangements for collecting or delivering raw milk; and

(vi)

rules applicable in the event of force majeure .

3. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, a contract and/or an offer for a contract shall not be required where raw milk is delivered by a farmer to a cooperative of which the farmer is a member if the statutes of that cooperative or the rules and decisions provided for in or derived from these statutes contain provisions having similar effects to the provisions set out in points (a), (b) and (c) of paragraph 2.

4. All elements of contracts for the delivery of raw milk concluded by farmers, collectors or processors of raw milk, including the elements referred to in paragraph 2(c), shall be freely negotiated between the parties.

Notwithstanding the first subparagraph,

(i)

where a Member State decides to make written contracts for the delivery of raw milk compulsory in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article, it may establish a minimum duration, applicable only to written contracts between a farmer and the first purchaser of raw milk. Such a minimum duration shall be at least 6 months and shall not impair the proper functioning of the internal market; and/or

(ii)

where a Member State decides that the first purchaser of raw milk must make a written offer for a contract to the farmer in accordance with paragraph 1, it may provide that the offer must include a minimum duration for the contract, set by national law for this purpose. Such a minimum duration shall be at least 6 months and shall not impair the proper functioning of the internal market.

The second subparagraph shall be without prejudice to the farmer’s right to refuse such a minimum duration provided that he does so in writing. In this case, the parties shall be free to negotiate all elements of the contract, including those elements referred to in paragraph 2(c).

5. The Member States which make use of the options referred to in this Article shall notify the Commission of how they are applied.

6. The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down measures necessary for the uniform application of points (a) and (b) of paragraph 2 and paragraph 3 of this Article and measures relating to notifications to be made by the Member States in accordance with this Article. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 196b(2).]

Textual Amendments

F1 Inserted by Regulation (EU) No 261/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2012 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 as regards contractual relations in the milk and milk products sector.