Dairy Produce Quotas Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Administrative penalties

36.—(1) Subject to the provisions of Article 23(4) of the Commission Regulation (which authorises Member States not to impose penalties in certain circumstances) and paragraph (5), purchasers shall be subject to the administrative penalties specified in paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) Where a purchaser fails to provide or submit to the Department –

(a) an application, statement or declaration concerning the adjustment of purchaser quota in accordance with regulation 23(2) to (4);

(b) information in accordance with regulation 33(2) to (4); or

(c) a confirmation or amendments relating to a revised version of a summary in accordance with regulation 35(2),

he shall be liable to pay to the Department a penalty equivalent to the theoretical amount of levy that would be due on 0.01 per cent of the quantity by volume of milk covered by that application, statement, declaration or revised version, or that information, for each day of the period of delay in the submission reaching the Department.

(3) Where a purchaser fails to maintain accurate and updated records pursuant to Article 24(2) of the Commission Regulation and regulation 34, he shall be liable to pay to the Department a penalty equivalent to the theoretical amount of the levy that would be due on 0.5 per cent of the quantity by volume of milk concerned.

(4) For the purposes of the third sub-paragraph of Article 11(3) of the Commission Regulation (which requires Member States to impose proportionate penalties where producers submit incorrect declarations), and subject to the provisions of Article 11(5) of that Regulation (which authorises Member States not to impose penalties in certain circumstances) and to paragraph (5), where a direct seller submits an annual declaration which overstates or understates the volume of direct sales for the quota year covered by that declaration, he shall be liable to pay to the Department –

(a) in the case of an overstatement, a penalty equivalent to the theoretical amount of levy that would be due on 0.5 per cent of the quantity by volume of the milk which comprises the overstatement; or

(b) in the case of an understatement, a penalty equivalent to the theoretical amount of levy that would be due on 0.5 per cent of the quantity by volume of the milk which comprises the understatement,

except in any case where, for the quota year covered by the declaration, he is liable to pay to the Department levy which exceeds that amount.

(5) Notwithstanding anything in paragraphs (2) to (4), the penalties referred to in those paragraphs –

(a) in the case of purchasers and direct sellers, shall not be less than £60;

(b) in the case of purchasers, shall not exceed £60,000; and

(c) in the case of direct sellers, shall not exceed £600.

(6) Subject to paragraph (7), if a purchaser fails to submit a summary required to be submitted under Article 8(2) of the Commission Regulation before 1st July in the year in which it is required to be submitted, he shall be liable to pay to the Department a penalty equivalent to the theoretical amount of levy that would be due on 0.01 per cent of the quantity by volume of milk covered by that declaration for each day of the period of the delay in the submission reaching the Department.

(7) A purchaser shall not be liable to pay a penalty under paragraph (6) if, in the opinion of the Department, the failure –

(a) was neither deliberate nor the result of serious negligence;

(b) is negligible in terms of the functioning of the scheme or the effectiveness of the checks; or

(c) is attributable to force majeure.