Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 (repealed)Show full title

Article 70 Crop, animal, and plant insurance

1. Member States may grant financial contributions to premiums for crop, animal and plant insurance against economic losses caused by adverse climatic events and animal or plant diseases or pest infestation.

For the purpose of this Article:

(a) ‘adverse climatic event’ shall mean weather conditions which can be assimilated to a natural disaster, such as frost, hail, ice, rain or drought;

(b) ‘animal diseases’ shall mean diseases mentioned in the list of animal diseases established by the World Organisation for Animal Health and/or in the Annex to Council Decision 90/424/EEC of 26 June 1990 on expenditure in the veterinary field(1);

(c) ‘economic losses’ shall mean any additional cost incurred by a farmer as a result of exceptional measures taken by the farmer with the objective of reducing supply on the market concerned or any substantial loss of production.

2. A financial contribution may only be granted for loss caused by an adverse climatic event or by an animal or plant disease or a pest infestation which destroys more than 30 % of the average annual production of the farmer in the preceding three-year period or a three-year average based on the preceding five-year period, excluding the highest and lowest entry.

3. The financial contribution granted per farmer shall not exceed 65 % of the insurance premium due.

Member States may limit the amount of the premium that is eligible for a financial contribution by applying appropriate ceilings.

4. Coverage by crop and/or animal and/or plant insurance shall only be available where the occurrence of an adverse climatic event or the outbreak of an animal or plant disease or pest infestation has been formally recognised as such by the competent authority of the Member State concerned.

Member States may, where appropriate, establish in advance criteria on the basis of which such formal recognition shall be deemed to be granted.

5. Insurance payments shall compensate for not more than the total cost of replacing the losses referred to in paragraph 1 and shall not require or specify the type or quantity of future production.

6. Any financial contribution shall be paid directly to the farmer concerned.

7. Member States' expenditure on the granting of financial contributions shall be co-financed by the Community from the funds referred to in Article 69(1) at a rate of 75 % of the financial contribution.

The first subparagraph shall not prejudice any powers of Member States to cover their participation in the financing of the financial contributions and the part of the insurance premium to be borne by farmers in full or in part through compulsory collective liability schemes in the sectors concerned. This shall be possible notwithstanding Articles 125l and 125n of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007.

8. Member States shall ensure that economic losses for which compensation is granted in accordance with other Community provisions, including Article 44 of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 and any other health and veterinary or plant health measures, shall not be further compensated in accordance with the first subparagraph of paragraph 1.

9. The financial contribution shall not constitute a barrier to the operation of the internal market in insurance services. The financial contribution shall not be limited to insurance provided by a single insurance company or group of companies, or be made subject to the condition that the insurance contract be taken out with a company established in the Member State concerned.

(1)

OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 19.