ANNEX IV BUYING-IN OF BUTTER
PART I Eligibility criteria for butter
The paying agency shall only buy-in butter which complies with Article 11(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, with points 2 to 6 of this Part of this Annex and with Part II of Annex IV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1240.
The paying agency shall check the quality of butter using the methods referred to in Article 4 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1240, and on the basis of samples taken in accordance with the rules set out in Part I of Annex IV to that Regulation. However, paying agencies may, subject to written agreement of the Commission, set up a system of self checking under their own supervision in respect of certain quality requirements and for certain approved undertakings.
Levels of radioactivity in butter may not exceed the maximum levels permitted under Union legislation and shall be monitored only if the situation so requires.
The butter shall have been made during the 31 days preceding the day on which the paying agency receives the offer to sell at fixed price or, in the case of tenders, during the 31 days preceding the closing date of the tendering sub-period.
Where butter is offered or tendered for intervention in a Member State other than that in which it was produced, buying-in shall be subject to the presentation of a certificate supplied by the competent body of the Member State of production.
The certificate shall be presented to the competent body of the purchasing Member State not later than 35 days after the day on which the offer is received or after the closing date of the tender and shall contain the information referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) of paragraph 2 of Part II of Annex IV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1240, and a confirmation that the butter has been produced directly and exclusively from pasteurised cream within the meaning of Article 11(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 in an approved undertaking in the Union.
Where the Member State of production has performed the checks referred to in point 2, the certificate referred to in point 5 shall also contain the results of those checks and confirm that the product concerned is butter fulfilling the requirements of Article 11(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013. In that case, the packaging shall be sealed by means of a numbered label issued by the competent body of the Member State of production. The certificate shall contain the number of the label.
PART II Compositional requirements and quality characteristics
Butter is a solid emulsion, mainly of the water-in-oil type, with the following compositional and quality characteristics:
| Parameters | Content and quality characteristics |
|---|---|
| Fat | Minimum 82 % |
| Water | Maximum 16 % |
| Non-fat solids | Maximum 2 % |
| Free fatty acids | Maximum 1,2 mmole/100 g fat |
| Peroxide value | Maximum 0,3 meq oxygen/1 000 g fat |
| Coliformes | Not detectable in 1 g |
| Non-milk fat | Not detectable by triglyceride analysis |
| Sensory characteristics | At least four out of five points for appearance, flavour and consistency |
| Water dispersion | At least four points |
PART III Criteria for the approval of undertakings referred to in Article 11(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013
Undertakings referred to in Article 11(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 shall be approved only if they:
are approved in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 and have the appropriate technical equipment;
undertake to keep permanent records in the form determined by the competent body of each Member State, listing the supplier and origin of the raw materials, the quantities of butter obtained and the packaging, identification and exit date of each production batch intended for public intervention;
agree to submit their production of butter liable to be offered for intervention to a specific official inspection;
undertake to inform the competent body, at least two working days in advance, of their intention to produce butter for public intervention; however, the Member State may set a shorter time limit.
To ensure compliance with this Regulation, the competent bodies shall carry out unannounced on-the-spot inspections, on the basis of the intervention butter production schedule of the undertakings concerned.
They shall carry out at least:
one inspection per period of 28 days of production for intervention with at least one inspection every year, to examine the records referred to in point 1(b);
one inspection every year when butter is produced for intervention, to verify compliance with the other conditions for approval referred to in point 1.
Approval shall be withdrawn if the conditions laid down in point 1(a) are no longer satisfied. Approval may be re-granted at the request of the undertaking concerned after a period of at least six months, following a thorough inspection.
Except in cases of force majeure, where an undertaking is found not to have complied with one of its commitments as referred to in point 1(b), (c) and (d), approval shall be suspended for a period of between one month and 12 months depending on the seriousness of the irregularity.
The Member State shall not impose suspension where it is established that the irregularity was not committed deliberately or as a result of serious negligence and that it is of minor importance with regard to the effectiveness of the inspections provided for in point 2.
A report shall be drawn up on the inspections carried out pursuant to points 2 and 3, specifying:
the date of the inspection;
the duration of the inspection;
the operations carried out.
The report shall be signed by the inspector responsible.