CHANGES TO THE DAIRY PRODUCE QUOTAS ( SCOTLAND ) REGULATIONS 2005
This note is to inform stakeholders of changes to the Dairy Produce Quotas (Scotland) Regulations (DPQR) 2005. The changes will be made by a Scottish Statutory Instrument which, subject to Scottish Parliamentary approval, will come into force on 31 March 2007 and apply with effect from the 2006/07 quota year.
Most of the changes are mandatory as they arise from amendments to the European Community legislation which governs the milk quotas system; a further change relaxes a current rule. They are largely to the benefit of the industry. As a result we will not be carrying out a formal consultation exercise. Neither will we prepare a full regulatory impact assessment as any costs or savings will be negligible.
The mandatory changes are as follows:
- The date by which any levy on the over-production of milk must be paid to the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to avoid interest charges being incurred will be 30 September instead of 1 September as at present.
- Milk purchasers and direct sellers who fail to provide statements of, respectively, deliveries or production by 15 June will receive a letter from the RPA within 15 working days of that date giving notice that, if no statement is submitted within a further 15 working days, a penalty will be payable (purchasers) or quota will be confiscated (direct sellers). The current deadline for the triggering of the RPA letter is 1 July, with 30 days being allowed for the submission of a statement. The amount of the penalty remains unchanged.
- Direct sellers holding under 5000 kg (4,855 litres) of milk quota will no longer have to keep records of milk and milk products which they have not sold or transferred.
Further change:
- The date for notifying the RPA of transfers of quota with land will in all cases be 31 March. Currently, the deadline for the notification of quota transfer by lease of land is 1 March.
SEERAD
October 2006