Agriculture Act (Northern Ireland) 1949

16 Service of improvement notice in respect of badly farmed land. N.I.

(1) Where the Ministry is satisfied that any agricultural land is not being maintained in good condition or farmed in accordance with the rules of good husbandry, the Ministry may, after affording to the occupier of that land an opportunity of having representations made in writing or, if the occupier so desires, orally by the occupier in person or by some other occupier of agricultural land or other person nominated by the occupier for the purpose, to the Ministry or to a person or persons appointed by the Ministry to report to it on the condition of, and method of farming, the land, serve on the occupier a written notice (in this Act referred to as an “improvement notice”) to that effect.

F1 [(2) Any improvement notice served under this Part of this Act shall be registered by the Ministry in accordance with the provisions of Part X of the Land Registration Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 [1970 c.18] and, so long as such notice continues in force, shall apply to the land to which the notice relates.]

(3) The Ministry shall, on the request of any person who—

(a) claims by virtue of any conacre, agistment or other agreement any right to use any agricultural land as such; or

(b) satisfies the Ministry that he is the owner of any agricultural land or of any estate or interest therein or that an estate or interest therein may vest in him on or at any time subsequent to the determination of the estate or interest of the occupier therein,

afford both to such person and to the occupier an opportunity of making representations to the Ministry under sub-section (1) of this section against the service of an improvement notice relating to that land.

(4) If while an improvement notice is in force in relation to any agricultural land additional land becomes occupied by the same occupier and is farmed in conjunction therewith the notice shall, if the Ministry so determines, extend by virtue of such determination to the additional land and shall be registered accordingly [F1 by the Ministry pursuant to the provisions of Part X of the Land Registration Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 [1970 c.18] ]:

Provided that nothing in this or the next succeeding sub-section shall be construed as imposing on any occupier any liability with respect to the additional land on a date before the commencement of his occupation thereof.

(5) For the purposes of giving effect to the last preceding sub-section references in this Act to the land to which an improvement notice relates shall be construed as including references to any additional land to which the notice extends by virtue of a determination of the Ministry under that sub-section; and references in this Act to the service of an improvement notice shall be construed as references to the date on which the notice was originally served as well in relation to such additional land as in relation to any other land to which the notice relates.

F1 1970 c.18 (NI)