THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 66/402/EEC of 14 June 1966 on the marketing of cereal seed ( 1 ), as last amended by Directive 79/692/EEC ( 2 ), and in particular the last sentence of Article 10 (1) (a) thereof,

Whereas cereal seed may not normally be placed on the market unless their packages are labelled with an official label in accordance with the provisions laid down in Directive 66/402/EEC;

Whereas, under those provisions, the indelible printing of the prescribed information on the package itself, on the basis of the model laid down for the label, may be authorized;

Whereas such authorization should be granted, under certain conditions which ensure that responsibility rests with the certification authority;

Whereas the measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Seeds and Propagating Material for Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

(a) the prescribed information shall be printed or stamped indelibly on the package;

(b) the layout and the colour of the printing or the stamp shall be in accordance with the model for the label used in the Member State concerned;

(c) of the prescribed information, at least that required under ►M1  Annex IV, (A) (a) (3) and (3a) ◄ of Directive 66/402/EEC shall be printed or stamped when samples are taken pursuant to Article 7 (2) of the abovementioned Directive, the printing or stamping being done officially or under official supervision;

(d) in addition to the prescribed information, each package shall have an officially attributed individual serial number which shall have been printed or stamped indelibly or perforated on it by the package printing firm; this firm shall inform the certification authority of the quantities of packages issued, including their serial numbers;

(e) the certification authority shall keep records of the quantities of seed thus marked, including the number and contents of the packages of each lot, as well as the serial numbers referred to under (d);

(f) producers' records shall be subject to supervision by the certification authority.