Article 151

Compulsory declarations in the milk and milk products sector

From 1 April 2015, the first purchasers of raw milk shall declare to the competent national authority the quantity of raw milk that has been delivered to them each month.

For the purposes of this Article and Article 148, a "first purchaser" means an undertaking or group which buys milk from producers in order to:

(a) subject it to collecting, packing, storing, chilling or processing, including under a contract;

(b) sell it to one or more undertakings treating or processing milk or other milk products.

Member States shall notify the Commission of the quantity of raw milk referred to in the first subparagraph.

The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down rules on the content, format and timing of such declarations and measures relating to the 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 229(2).

CHAPTER III

Producer organisations and associations and interbranch organisations

Section 1

Definition and recognition

Article 152

Producer organisations

1. Member States may, on request, recognise producer organisations, which:

(a) are constituted, and controlled in accordance with point (c) of Article 153(2), by producers in a specific sector listed in Article 1(2);

(b) are formed on the initiative of the producers;

(i) ensuring that production is planned and adjusted to demand, particularly in terms of quality and quantity;

(ii) concentration of supply and the placing on the market of the products produced by its members, including through direct marketing;

(iii) optimising production costs and returns on investments in response to environmental and animal welfare standards, and stabilising producer prices;

(iv) carrying out research and developing initiatives on sustainable production methods, innovative practices, economic competitiveness and market developments;

(v) promoting, and providing technical assistance for, the use of environmentally sound cultivation practices and production techniques, and sound animal welfare practices and techniques;

(vi) promoting, and providing technical assistance for, the use of production standards, improving product quality and developing products with a protected designation of origin, with a protected geographical indication or covered by a national quality label;

(vii) the management of by-products and of waste in particular to protect the quality of water, soil and landscape and preserving or encouraging biodiversity;

(viii)

contributing to a sustainable use of natural resources and to climate change mitigation;

(ix) developing initiatives in the area of promotion and marketing;

(x) managing of the mutual funds referred to in operational programmes in the fruit and vegetables sector referred to in Article 31(2) of this Regulation and under Article 36 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013

(xi) providing the necessary technical assistance for the use of the futures markets and of insurance schemes.