1. During periods of severe imbalance in markets, the Commission may adopt implementing acts to the effect that Article 101(1) TFEU is not to apply to agreements and decisions of recognised producer organisations, their associations and recognised interbranch organisations in any of the sectors referred to in Article 1(2) of this Regulation, provided that such agreements and decisions do not undermine the proper functioning of the internal market, strictly aim to stabilise the sector concerned and fall under one or more of the following categories:
(a)
market withdrawal or free distribution of their products;
(b)
transformation and processing;
(c)
storage by private operators;
(d)
joint promotion measures;
(e)
agreements on quality requirements;
(f)
joint purchasing of inputs necessary to combat the spread of pests and diseases in animals and plants in the Union or of inputs necessary to address the effects of natural disasters in the Union;
(g)
temporary planning of production taking into account the specific nature of the production cycle.
The Commission shall specify in implementing acts the substantive and geographic scope of this derogation and, subject to paragraph 3, the period for which the derogation applies.
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 229(2).
2. Paragraph 1 shall apply only if the Commission has already adopted one of the measures referred to in this Chapter, if products have been bought in under public intervention or if aid for private storage referred to in Chapter I of Title I of Part II has been granted.
3. The agreements and decisions referred to in paragraph 1 shall only be valid for a period of up to six months.
However, the Commission may adopt implementing acts authorising such agreements and decisions for a further period of up to six-months. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 229(2).