Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 324/2014 of 28 March 2014 adopting exceptional support measures for the pigmeat market in Poland

Article 1

Poland is authorised to grant aid in respect of the slaughtering of the following animals and the release on to the market of the fresh pigmeat and pigmeat products derived thereof in compliance with the relevant veterinary legislation:

(a) pigs covered by CN code 0103 92 19 ;

(b) sows covered by CN code 0103 92 11 .

The aid provided for in paragraph 1 shall only be granted if the following conditions are met:

(a) the animals were reared in the areas listed in the Annex to Implementing Decisions 2014/100/EU or 2014/134/EU or in part II of the Annex to implementing Decision 2014/178/EU for the relevant periods, or in any other Commission Implementing Decision adopted in this regard, and the pigmeat from animals reared in those areas is submitted to certain marketing restrictions due to African swine fever;

(b) the animals were present in the areas referred to in point (a) on 26 February 2014 or they were born and reared after that date in those areas;

(c) the additional preventive measures established by the Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland of 26 February 2014 on measures to be taken in connection with the occurrence of African Swine Fever in feral pigs, or any other national rules adopted in this regard and submitting pigmeat to marketing restrictions due to African swine fever, apply in the area where those animals were reared on the date they are delivered to a slaughterhouse;

(d) producers of pigmeat who apply for the aid provided for in paragraph 1 of this Article do not benefit from the financial contribution for early slaughter referred to in Article 1(3) of the Commission Implementing Decision 2014/236/EU (¹).

Article 2

The aid provided for in Article 1 shall be considered to be exceptional market support measures as provided for in Article 4(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (²).

Article 3

Article 4

Poland shall take all measures necessary, including exhaustive administrative and physical controls, to ensure compliance with the conditions laid down in this Regulation. Furthermore, the Polish authorities shall:

(a) supervise the transport of the animals from the holding to the slaughterhouse using standardised checklists incorporating weighing and counting sheets, including origin and destination of the animals;

(b) ensure that all products for which aid is granted comply with the restrictions applicable to the territories referred to in point (a) of Article 1(2);

(c) perform at least once per calendar month, administrative and accounting controls at each participating slaughterhouse to ensure that all animals delivered and the derived meat, and for which an application of aid can be lodged, since 26 February 2014 or since the last such control have been handled in accordance with this Regulation;

(d) provide for on-the-spot checks and detailed reports on those checks indicating in particular: (i) the weight and total number of eligible animals per batch transported from the farm, the date and time of their transport to and arrival at a slaughterhouse; (ii) the number of pigs and sows slaughtered by the slaughterhouse, the weight of each carcass and animal movement permit, as well as, for the animals slaughtered from the entry into force of this Regulation, the seal numbers of the transport means for those animals.

Article 5

Poland shall communicate the following information to the Commission, each Wednesday in respect of the previous week:

(a) the number of sows and the number of other pigs delivered for slaughter in accordance with this Regulation, as well as their overall carcass weight;

(b) the estimated financial costs for each category of animals referred to in Article 1(1).

The first communication shall cover animals delivered for slaughter since 26 February 2014 in accordance with this Regulation. The obligation referred to in the first subparagraph shall apply until 4 June 2014.

Article 6

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.