No L 230/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 8. 88 COMMISSION REGULATION (EEC) No 2580/88 of 17 August 1988 laying down the rules for amending the list of rice varieties set out in Annex B to Regulation (EEC) No 3878/87 THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3878/87 of 18 December 1987 on the production aid for certain varieties of rice ('), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1424/88 (), and in particular Article 2 (3) thereof, Whereas Article 2 (1) of Regulation (EEC) No 3878/87 lays down the morphological characteristics required for a variety to be eligible for production aid; whereas paragraph 2 of the same Article provides that from the 1988/89 marketing year no variety will qualify for aid unless it also possesses certain qualitative characteristics relating to glutinosity, consistency and amylose content ; Whereas those qualitative  characteristics should correspond to those observed in the varieties imported from areas which have traditionally grown Indica rice; Whereas the methods of analysis to be used in _ determining those morphological.and qualitative charac- teristics should be defined ; Whereas the procedure for amending the list of varieties set out in Annex B to Regulation (EEC) No 3878/87 should include yearly checks involving sampling to permit the necessary varietal analysis to take place; Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Cereals, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION : Article 1 1. With effect from the 1988/89 marketing year, the only varieties of rice eligible for inclusion in Annex B to Regulation (EEC) No 3878/87 shall be those possessing the morphological characteristics set out in Article 2(1) of the above Regulation and the following qualitative charac- terigtics : ’ — a glutinosity value not exceeding 2,50 gcm, — a consistency value of not less that 0,85 kg/cm?, — an amylose content of not less than 21 %. 2. The methods for testing the morphological and qualitative characteristics of varieties of rice are set out in Annex L : () OJ No L 365, 24. 12. 1987, p. 3. () OJ No L 131, 27. 5. 1988, p. 2. Article 2 1. Member States wishing to have an eligible variety of rice included in Annex B to Regulation (EEC) No 3878/87 shall submit to the Commission, not later than 31 July of each year, an application stating the name of the vatiety and its reference in the national catalogue of agricultural plant varieties. ' ' 2. Having submitted an application in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1, the Member State shall forward to one only of the laboratories listed in Annex II a sample of unhusked certified seed of each of the varieties concerned. The Commission departments will indicate by 31 December of each year at the latest which laboratory is to receive the sample. The sample, weighing .at least 5 kg, shall have been produced during that year in one of the areas listed in Annex A to Regulation (EEC) No 3878/87. Article 3 1. The laboratory responsible for processing the rice shall, having carried -out germination tests and having processed the rice, forward samples labelled with a code to all the laboratories listed in Annex II, and shall forward a list of the codes and the information to which they correspond to the Commission staff under sealed cover. 2. Each saniple sent to the laboratories for analysis shall consist of at least 100 grams of husked rice, and at least 750 grams of milled rice. Samples shall consist of entire grains only, and entire but chalky grains shall be eliminated from samples of milled rice. ' Article 4 1. The Commission staff shall determine the characte- ristics of the varieties involved using the arithmetic mean or the results of the analyses carried out, after excluding the highest figure and the lowest. 2. Should two or more applications for the inclusion of a single variety be received, its characteristics shall be determined according to the mean of the test results, as set out in paragraph 1. 3. The Commission‘ staff shéll inform the Member States of the results of the analyses before 31 March of each year. Article 5 This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.