PURPOSE: to extend for one further marketing year (2008-2009) aid granted to the production of short flax fibre and hemp fibre.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Regulation (EC) No 247/2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation).
CONTENT: the processing aid for short flax fibre and hemp fibre, containing not more than 7.5% impurities and shives applies until the end of the marketing year 2007/2008. However, as a result of favourable market conditions, the Council has adopted this Regulation extending, as from 1 July 2008 until 2009, the aid scheme for processing flax and hemp straw into fibre.
The current level of EUR 160 per tonne for the 2008/2009 marketing year and will increase up to EUR 200 per tonne from the 2009/2010 marketing year onwards.
The additional aid granted to processors of long flax fibre in traditional production areas of Belgium, France and the Netherlands will remain unchanged during the 2008/2009 marketing year (EUR 120 per hectare or EUR 50 per hectare depending on the production zone).
The aid for short flax and hemp fibres will be kept at EUR 90 per tonne. In order to promote the production of high-quality short flax and hemp fibres, the aid is granted to fibres containing a maximum of 7,5 % of impurities and shives. However, the Member States may derogate from this limit and grant processing aid for short flax fibre containing a larger percentage of impurities.
The maximum guaranteed quantity per marketing year is 80 878 tonnes for long flax fibre and 147 265 tonnes for short flax fibre and hemp fibre.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 26 March 2008
APPLICATION: as from 01 July 2008.