[F1[F2Article 44U.K.Maintenance of the ratio of permanent grassland
[F31.[F4The relevant authority] may provide for the individual obligation of farmers not to convert, including, where they apply point (a) of the third subparagraph of Article 4(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, not to plough, areas of permanent grassland without prior individual authorisation. The farmers shall be informed of that obligation without delay and in any case before 15 November of the year in which the [F5relevant authority] concerned so provides. That obligation shall only apply to farmers who are subject to the obligations under Chapter 3 of Title III of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 with respect to areas of permanent grassland that are not subject to Article 45(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013.
The issuing of an authorisation may depend on the application of objective and non-discriminatory criteria, including environmental criteria. If the authorisation referred to in the first subparagraph is subject to the condition that another area of a corresponding number of hectares is to be established as permanent grassland or, where the [F6relevant authority] applies point (a) of the third subparagraph of Article 4(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, to the condition that another or the same area is established as permanent grassland, that area shall, by way of derogation from Article 4(1)(h) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, be considered as permanent grassland as of the first day after the conversion, including the ploughing. Such areas shall be used to grow grasses or other herbaceous forage at least for the five consecutive years following the date of conversion including the ploughing. F7...]
2.Where it is established that the ratio referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 45(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 has decreased beyond 5 % compared to the reference ratio referred to in that Article, the [F8relevant authority] concerned shall provide for the obligation to reconvert areas into areas of permanent grassland and for rules to avoid new conversion of areas of permanent grassland.
[F9The relevant authority] shall determine the range of farmers subject to the reconversion obligation from farmers who:
are subject to the obligations under Chapter 3 of Title III of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 with respect to areas of permanent grassland that are not subject to Article 45(1) of that Regulation; and
based on the applications submitted in accordance with Article 72 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 or Article 19 of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 during the preceding two calendar years F10... have agricultural areas at their disposal which were converted from areas of permanent grassland or land under permanent pasture into areas for other uses.
Where the periods referred to in point (b) of the second subparagraph include calendar years before 2015, the reconversion obligation shall also apply to areas that were converted into areas for other uses from land under permanent pasture that were subject to the obligation referred to in Article 6(2) of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 or Article 93(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
When determining which farmers shall reconvert areas into areas of permanent grassland, [F11the relevant authority] shall impose the obligation first on farmers who have at their disposal an area that was converted from an area of permanent grassland or land under permanent pasture into an area for other uses in breach of the authorisation requirement, if applicable, referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article or Article 4(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1122/2009. Such farmers shall reconvert the whole converted area.
3.If the application of the fourth subparagraph of paragraph 2 does not lead to an increase of the ratio referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 45(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 above the threshold of 5 %, [F12the relevant authority] shall provide that farmers who have at their disposal an area that was converted from an area of permanent grassland or land under permanent pasture into an area for other uses during the periods referred to in point (b) of the second subparagraph of paragraph 2 of this Article, are also to reconvert a percentage of that converted area into areas of permanent grassland or to establish another area corresponding to that percentage as area of permanent grassland. That percentage shall be calculated on the basis of the area converted by the farmer during the periods referred to in point (b) of the second subparagraph of paragraph 2 of this Article and the area needed to increase the ratio referred to in Article 45(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 above the threshold of 5 %.
[F13The relevant authority] may for the calculation of the percentage referred to in the first subparagraph, exclude from the area converted by the farmer those areas which became permanent grassland after 31 December 2015, provided that they carry out administrative cross-checks of the permanent grassland annually declared in the geo-spatial aid application by means of a spatial intersection with the area declared as permanent pasture in 2015 registered in the identification system for agricultural parcels and that those areas of permanent grassland were not established as a result of an obligation to reconvert or to establish an area of permanent grassland pursuant to paragraph 2 or this paragraph. However, where such exclusion does not allow to increase the ratio referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 45(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 above the threshold of 5 %, [F14the relevant authority] shall not exclude those areas.
Areas of permanent grassland or land under permanent pasture that farmers created in the framework of commitments in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005(1) and Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 shall not be taken into account in the area converted by the farmer for the calculation of the percentage referred to in the first subparagraph.
The farmers shall be informed of the individual reconversion obligation and of the rules to avoid new conversion of permanent grassland, without delay and in any case before 31 December of the year in which the decrease beyond 5 % is established. The obligation to reconvert shall be complied with before the date for the submission of the single application for the following yearF15....
By way of derogation from Article 4(1)(h) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, areas reconverted into or established as areas of permanent grassland shall be considered as permanent grassland as of the first day of the reconversion or establishment. Those areas shall be used to grow grasses or other herbaceous forage at least for the five consecutive years following the date of their conversion, or, if the [F16relevant authority] so decides, where farmers convert areas which were already used to grow grasses and other herbaceous forage into areas of permanent grassland, the remaining number of years needed in order to reach the five consecutive years.]]
Textual Amendments
F1Regulation revoked (E.) (1.1.2024) by The Agriculture (Delinked Payments and Consequential Provisions) (England) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/1430), reg. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 1 Table 1 (with Sch. 3 Pt. 2)
F2Ch. 3 omitted (W.) (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Direct Payments to Farmers and Rural Affairs (Miscellaneous Amendments etc.) (Wales) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1556), regs. 1(2)(a), 8(8); and Ch. 3 omitted (E.) (1.1.2021 in relation to an application for direct payments made in 2021 or in any subsequent year) by virtue of The Direct Payments to Farmers and Cross-Compliance (Simplifications) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1387), regs. 1(1), 6(3) (with reg. 1(2)); and Ch. 3 omitted (N.I.) (25.2.2021) by virtue of The Direct Payments to Farmers (Simplifications) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 (S.R. 2021/42), regs. 1(1), 5(3)
F3Substituted by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/1784 of 9 July 2018 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) No 639/2014 as regards certain provisions on the greening practices established by Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
F4Words in Art. 44(1) substituted (31.1.2020) by The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(a)(i)(aa)
F5Words in Art. 44(1) substituted (31.1.2020) by The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(a)(i)(bb)
F6Words in Art. 44(1) substituted (31.1.2020) by The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(a)(ii)(aa)
F7Words in Art. 44(1) omitted (31.1.2020) by virtue of The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(a)(ii)(bb)
F8Words in Art. 44(2) substituted (31.1.2020) by The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(b)(i)
F9Words in Art. 44(2) substituted (31.1.2020) by The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(b)(ii)(aa)
F10Words in Art. 44(2) omitted (31.1.2020) by virtue of The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(b)(ii)(bb)
F11Words in Art. 44(2) substituted (31.1.2020) by The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(b)(iii)
F12Words in Art. 44(3) substituted (31.1.2020) by The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(c)(i)
F13Words in Art. 44(3) substituted (31.1.2020) by The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(c)(ii)(aa)
F14Words in Art. 44(3) substituted (31.1.2020) by The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(c)(ii)(bb)
F15Words in Art. 44(3) omitted (31.1.2020) by virtue of The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(c)(iii)
F16Words in Art. 44(3) substituted (31.1.2020) by The Rules for Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/91), regs. 1(2), 12(6)(c)(iv)
Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)(OJ L 277, 21.10.2005, p. 1).