Agricultural prices 1999/2000 : aid for seeds (amend. regul. 2358/71/EEC)

Prices for agricultural products 1999/2000 - Seeds: As provided for in the basic Regulation (2358/71/EEC), every two years the Commission proposes the level of aid for the next two marketing years; in this case for both 2000/01 and 2001/02. Considering that the markets for the different species are in the balance and the market prices are reasonable, it is proposed to maintain the existing levels of aid for two years. However, for rice, hemp and perennial ryegrass seeds, some changes are proposed. In the case of rice and hemp, they aim to bring seed legislation into line with the legislation on corresponding products. For rice seeds it is proposed to replace the genetic approach for differentiating the japonica and indica types by a morphological approach based on the seed size, as proved for in the CMO for rice since the 1995 reform. For hemp seed, where aid has traditionally been limited to monoecious varieties, it is proposed to follow the latest developments of the hemp scheme by extending the eligibility to newly developed dioecious varieties and introducing the same maximum alkaloid (THC) rate. For perennial ryegrass, the Commission proposes to fix the aid at the same level for the three varieites concerned, while respecting budget neutrality.�