Eligibility criteria
Article 16
1. To be eligible for support, quality schemes recognised by Member States, as referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph of Article 15, shall comply with the following criteria: (a) the specificity of the final product under such schemes shall be derived from detailed obligations on farming and processing methods that guarantee: (i) specific characteristics including the production process; or (ii) a quality of the final product that goes significantly beyond the commercial commodity standards as regards plant health or environmental protection; (b) the schemes involve binding product specifications and compliance with those specifications shall be verified by an independent inspection body; (c) the schemes shall be open to all producers; (d) the schemes shall be transparent and assure complete traceability of the products; (e) the schemes shall respond to current and foreseeable market opportunities. 2. Support may be granted to farmers participating in a quality scheme only if the quality product has been officially recognised under the Regulations and provisions of the Community schemes or quality schemes recognised by a Member State, as provided for in point (a) of the first subparagraph of Article 15. As regards the quality schemes established under Regulation (EC) No 510/2006, support may only be granted in respect of names registered in the Community register. 3. Where support for participation in a quality scheme under Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 is included in a restructuring programme, the fixed costs resulting from the participation in that quality scheme shall not be taken into account in calculating the amount of support in the framework of an agri-environment measure to support organic farming. 4. For the purpose of point (b) of the first subparagraph of Article 15, ‘fixed costs’ means the costs incurred for entering a supported quality scheme and the annual contribution for participating in that scheme, including, where necessary, expenditure on checks required to verify compliance with the specifications of the scheme.