Environmentally Sensitive Areas Designation Order (Northern Ireland) 2001

Requirements of agreements, additional matters in respect of which payments may be made and amounts of payments

4.—(1) The requirements as to agricultural practices, methods and operations and the installation or use of equipment which must be included in agreements are those specified in Schedule 2.

(2) Subject to the provisions of this Article, the Department may make payments under an agreement in consideration of the requirements included in the agreement pursuant to paragraph (1), up to the maximum payment rate set out in Schedule 3 for each hectare of unimproved land or, as the case may be, improved land or arable land to which the agreement relates.

(3) The additional matters in respect of which the Department may make payments under an agreement are specified in column 1 of Schedule 4 and column 1 of Schedule 5.

(4) Subject to the provisions of this Article, the Department may make payments under an agreement in consideration of a matter included in the agreement pursuant to paragraph (3) and Schedule 4 or Schedule 5 up to the maximum payment rate specified in column 2 of Schedule 4 or, as the case may be, column 2 of Schedule 5 opposite the reference to that matter.

(5) Payments under paragraph (2) shall not exceed £1,500 per annum for each farmer.

(6) Subject to paragraph (7), payments under paragraph (4) in consideration of a matter included in the agreement pursuant to paragraph (3) and Schedule 5 shall not exceed £1,500 per annum for each farmer.

(7) For the purposes of paragraph (6) the matters set out in the following paragraphs of Schedule 5 shall be disregarded—

(a) paragraph 3(d);

(b) paragraph 3(e) and (f) provided the activities undertaken form part of a parkland management plan;

(c) paragraph 4;

(d) paragraph 9;

(e) paragraph 10(c) and (d) provided the activities undertaken are associated with fencing of habitats;

(f) paragraph 11.