(1)

In accordance with Article 2 of Commission Regulation (EU) No 807/2010 of 14 September 2010 laying down detailed rules for the supply of food from intervention stocks for the benefit of the most deprived persons in the Union (3), the Commission has to adopt a distribution plan to be financed from resources available in the 2012 budget year. That plan has to lay down, in particular, for each of the Member States applying the measure, the maximum financial resources available to carry out its part of the plan, and the quantity of each type of product to be withdrawn from the stocks held by the intervention agencies.

(2)

The Member States involved in the distribution plan for the 2012 budget year have supplied the Commission with the information required in accordance with Article 1 of Regulation (EU) No 807/2010.

(3)

For the purposes of resource allocation, account must be taken of experience and of the degree to which the Member States used the resources allocated to them in previous years.

(4)

Taking into account the fact that availability of intervention stocks for the supply of the scheme for food distribution to the most deprived persons is substantially reduced in relation to the previous year, it is appropriate that the 2012 annual plan is adopted as soon as the Member States supplied the Commission with the information required in Article 1 of Regulation (EU) No 807/2010. The fast adoption aims to allow the Member States additional time to organize the implementation of the Union annual plan with a view to giving a chance to national authorities and charities to find alternative sources of food.

(5)

Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 807/2010 provides that, where no rice is available in intervention stocks, the Commission may authorise the removal of cereals from the intervention stocks as payment for the supply of rice or rice products mobilised on the market. Accordingly, given that there are currently no intervention stocks of rice, the removal of cereals from intervention stocks as payment for mobilising rice products in the market should be authorised.

(6)

Article 8(1) of Regulation (EU) No 807/2010 provides for the transfer between Member States of products unavailable in the intervention stocks of the Member State in which such products are required to implement the annual distribution plan. Accordingly, the intra-Union transfers necessary to implement that plan for 2012 should be authorised, subject to the conditions laid down in Article 8 of Regulation (EU) No 807/2010.

(7)

Due to the current market situation in the cereals sector, which is marked by high market price levels, it is appropriate, in order to secure the Union's financial interests, to increase the security, which is to be lodged by the contractor undertaking the supply operation of cereals as provided for in Articles 4(3) and 8(4) of Regulation (EU) No 807/2010.

(8)

To implement the annual distribution plan, the operative event within the meaning of Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 2799/98 should be the date on which the financial year for administration of stocks in public storage starts.

(9)

In accordance with Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) No 807/2010, the Commission has consulted the major organisations familiar with the problems of the most deprived persons in the Union when drawing up the annual distribution plan.

(10)

The Management Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets has not delivered an opinion within the time limit set by its Chair,