2.12.2009 Official Journal of the European Union L 316/27 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1121/2009 of 29 October 2009 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 as regards the support schemes for farmers provided for in Titles IV and V thereof THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 of 19 Janu- ary 2009 establishing common rules for direct support schemes for farmers under the common agricultural policy and establish- ing certain support schemes for farmers, amending Regulations (EC) No 1290/2005, (EC) No 247/2006, (EC) No 378/2007 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 ('), and in particular Article 29(4)(a), Article 87(4), Article 89(2), Article 91(2), the sec- ond subparagraph of Article 101(2), Article 103(1), Article 142(c), (e), (q) and (s) and Article 147 thereof, Whereas: (1) Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 repeals and replaces Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 of 29 September 2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing cer- tain support schemes for farmers and amending Regula- tions (EEC) No 2019/93, (EC) No 14522001, (EC) No 1453/2001, (EC) No 1454/2001, (EC) No 1868/94, (EC) No 12511999, (EC) No 1254/1999, (EC) No 1673/2000, (EEC) No 235871 and (EQ) No 2529/2001 (?). The implementing rules for the appli- cation of the support schemes provided for in Titles IV and IVa of Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 were laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1973/2004 of 29 Octo- ber 2004 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 as regards the sup- port schemes provided for in Titles IV and IVa of that Regulation and the use of land set aside for the production of raw materials (3). Regulation (EC) No 1973/2004 needs to be adapted to the changes introduced by Regulation (EC) No 73/2009, notably those provided for in Title IV and in Chapters 2 and 4 of Title V thereof. In the interest of clar- ity and simplification Regulation (EC) No 1973/2004 should be repealed and replaced by a new Regulation. (2)  In order to ensure the efficient administration of the schemes provided for in Title IV of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009, the payments to be granted under some of those schemes should be restricted to minimum size of the areas (area payment). The minimum area size should be () OJ L 30, 31.1.2009, p. 16. () OJ L 270, 21.10.2003, p. 1. () OJ L 345,20.11.2004, p. 1. (6) fixed taking into account the particular size of farms in some Member States or the specific conditions for some productions. The sowing of land for the sole purpose of qualifying for area payments should be prevented. Certain conditions relating to the sowing and cultivation of crops should be specified, in particular as regards protein plants and rice and fruit and vegetables. Local standards should be respected in order to reflect the diversity of agricultural practice within the Community. Only one application for an area payment should be per- mitted in respect of any parcel cultivated in a given year except in cases where the aid concerns the production of seeds. Area payments may be granted on crops subsidised under a scheme falling within the Community’s structural or environmental policies. Supports schemes provide that where the area, the quan- tity or the number of animals for which aid is claimed exceeds maximum limits, the area or quantity or number for which aid is claimed is to be reduced proportionately in that year. It is therefore appropriate to establish the modalities and deadlines for the exchange of information between the Commission and the Member States in order to inform the Commission of the areas or quantities or numbers for which the aid has been paid. The terms of payment as well as the crop-specific payment for rice calculation depend not only on the base area or areas fixed for each producing Member State in Article 75 of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009, but also on the possible subdivision of those base areas into sub-base areas and on the objective criteria chosen by each Member State to per- form this subdivision, on conditions in which the culti- vated parcels are put into cultivation and on the minimum size of the areas. As a consequence, detailed rules should be laid down for the establishment, the management and the cultivation modalities applicable to base areas and sub- base areas. The observation of a possible overrun of the base area referred to in Article 76 of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 implies a reduction of the crop-specific payment for rice. In order to set the calculation modalities for such a reduc- tion, the criteria to be taken into consideration as well as applicable coefficients should be defined.