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1. Member States may, on request, recognise interbranch organisations at national and regional levels and at the level of the economic areas referred to in Article 164(2) in a specific sector listed in Article 1(2) which:

(a) are constituted of representatives of economic activities linked to the production and to at least one of the following stages of the supply chain: the processing of or trade in, including distribution of, products in one or more sectors;

(b) are formed on the initiative of all or some of the organisations or associations which constitute them;

(c) pursue a specific aim taking account of the interests of their members and of consumers, which may include, in particular, one of the following objectives:

(i) improving knowledge and the transparency of production and the market, including by publication of aggregated statistical data on production costs, prices, including, where appropriate, price indices, volumes and duration of contracts which have been previously concluded, and by providing analyses of potential future market developments at regional, national or international level;

(ii) forecasting of production potential, and recording public market prices;

(iii) helping to coordinate better the way the products are placed on the market, in particular by means of research and market studies;

(iv) exploring potential export markets;

(v) without prejudice to Articles 148 and 168, drawing up standard forms of contract, compatible with Union rules, for the sale of agricultural products to purchasers and/or the supply of processed products to distributors and retailers, taking into account the need to achieve fair competitive conditions and to avoid market distortions;

(vi) exploiting to a fuller extent the potential of the products, including at the level of market outlets, and developing initiatives to strengthen economic competitiveness and innovation;

(vii) providing the information and carrying out the research necessary to innovate, rationalise, improve and adjust production and, where applicable, the processing and marketing, towards products more suited to market requirements and consumer tastes and expectations, in particular with regard to product quality, including the specific characteristics of products with a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication, and protection of the environment, climate action, animal health and animal welfare; (viii) seeking ways of restricting the use of animal-health or plant protection products, better managing other inputs, ensuring product quality and soil and water conservation, promoting food safety, in particular through traceability of products, and improving animal health and welfare;

(ix) developing methods and instruments for improving product quality at all stages of production and, where applicable, of processing and marketing;

(x) taking all possible actions to uphold, protect and promote organic farming and designations of origin, quality labels and geographical indications;

(xi) promoting and carrying out research into integrated, sustainable production or other environmentally sound production methods;

(xii) encouraging healthy and responsible consumption of the products on the internal market and/or informing about the harm linked to hazardous consumption patterns; (xiii) promoting consumption of, and/or furnishing information concerning, products on the internal market and external markets;

(xiv) contributing to the management and developing initiatives for the valorisation of by-products and the reduction and management of waste;

(xv) establishing standard value sharing clauses within the meaning of Article 172a, including market bonuses and losses, determining how any evolution of relevant market prices of the products concerned or other commodity markets is to be allocated between them;

(xvi) promoting and implementing measures to prevent, control and manage animal health, plant-protection and environmental risks, including by setting up and managing mutual funds or by contributing to such funds with a view to paying financial compensation to farmers for costs and economic losses arising from the promotion and implementation of such measures;

1a. Member States may, on request, decide to grant more than one recognition to an interbranch organisation operating in several sectors referred to in Article 1(2) provided the interbranch organisation fulfils the conditions referred to in paragraph 1 for each sector for which it seeks recognition.

2. In duly justified cases, Member States may decide on the basis of objective and non-discriminatory criteria that the condition in point (c) of Article 158(1) is fulfilled by limiting the number of interbranch organisations on a regional or national level if so provided for by national rules in place before 1 January 2014, and where this does not impair the proper functioning of the internal market.

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