Beef Special Premium (Protection of Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Interpretation

2.—(1) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(1) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to a Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

(2) In these Regulations—

“additional amounts” means the additional amounts payable pursuant to Article 4h(1) of Council Regulation 805/68;

“animal” means a male animal of the bovine species;

“animal in the first age bracket” means a steer which on the date of the commencement of the retention period for it is not less than 8 months old and not more than 20 months old;

“animal in the second age bracket” means a steer which on the date of the commencement of the retention period for it is not less than 21 months old;

“applicant” means a producer who has applied for Community premium in respect of a given calendar year;

“authorised person” means a person who is authorised by the Department either generally or specifically, to act in matters arising under these Regulations;

“bull” means an uncastrated animal which on the date of the commencement of the retention period for it is not less than 8 months old and not more than 20 months old;

“bull premium” means the premium payable pursuant to Article 4b(2)(a) of Council Regulation 805/68;

“Commission Regulation 3886/92” means Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 3886/92 laying down detailed rules for the application of the premium schemes provided for in Council Regulation (EEC) No. 805/68 on the common organisation of the market in beef and repealing Regulations (EEC) No. 1244/82 and (EEC) No. 714/89(2);

“Commission Regulation 3887/92” means Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 3887/92 laying down detailed rules for applying the integrated administration and control system for certain Community aid schemes(3);

“Community premium” means any combination of the first premium, the second premium or the bull premium;

“Council Regulation 805/68” means Council Regulation (EEC) No. 805/68 on the common organisation of the market in beef and veal(4);

“first premium” means the premium payable pursuant to the first indent of Article 4b(2)(b) of Council Regulation 805/68;

“overgrazing” means grazing land with livestock in such numbers as adversely to affect the growth, quality or species composition of vegetation (other than vegetation normally grazed to destruction) on that land to a significant degree;

“premium scheme” means the aid scheme referred to in Article 4b of Council Regulation 805/68;

“producer” has the same meaning as in Article 4a of Council Regulation 805/68;

“relevant date” means, in relation to an applicant, the date on which his application for Community premium in respect of a given scheme year is lodged with the Department;

“retention period” means the period for which an animal has to be retained on an applicant’s holding if it is to quality for Community premium and which is referred to in the first paragraph of Article 4 of Commission Regulation 3886/92;

“Scheme year” means any calendar year in respect of which Community premium may be paid, and includes any part of a retention period in relation to an application for that premium in respect of a given calendar year which falls within the following calendar year;

“second premium” means the premium payable pursuant to the second indent of Article 4b(2)(b) of Council Regulation 805/68;

“the Department” means the Department of Agriculture;

“unsuitable supplementary feeding methods” means providing supplementary feed (other than to maintain livestock during abnormal weather conditions) in such a manner as to result in damage to vegetation through excessive trampling or poaching of the land by livestock or excessive rutting by vehicles.

(3) Any reference in these Regulations to a Community instrument is a reference to that instrument as amended on the date on which these Regulations are made.

(1)

1954 c. 33 (N.I.)

(2)

O.J. No. L391, 31.12.92, p. 20, as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2311/96 (O.J. No. L313, 3.12.96, p. 9)

(3)

O.J. No. L391, 31.12.92, p. 36, as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2015/95 (O.J. No. L197, 22.8.95, p. 2)

(4)

O.J. No. L148, 28.6.68, p. 24, (O.J./S.E. 1968, Vol 1, p. 187), as last amended by Council Regulation (EC) No. 2222/96 (O.J. No. L2946, 21.11.96, p. 50)