1. The common rules referred to in Article 7(2)(b) and (c) of Regulation (EC) No 1952/2005 shall be laid down in writing. These rules shall comprise at least:

as regards production:

provisions concerning the use of one or more specified varieties when renewing plantations or creating new ones;

provisions concerning compliance with certain methods of cultivation and plant protection;

provisions concerning harvesting, drying and, where appropriate, preparation for marketing;

as regards placing on the market, particularly where concentration and conditions of supply are concerned:

general provisions governing sales by the group;

provisions relating to the quantities which the producers are authorised to sell themselves and the rules governing these sales.

2. ‘The first marketing stage’ means the sale of hops by the producer himself or, in the case of a producers' group, the sale of hops by its members to the wholesale trade or to the user industries.

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1299/2007 of 6 November 2007 on the recognition of producer groups for hops (Codified version) ANNEX I ANNEX II