SCHEDULESTANDARDS OF GOOD AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITION

Interpretation

10.  In this schedule:

“arable land” means land on which cereal or oil-seed rape crops are grown;

“borehole” means a hole which has been drilled in land in order to provide a water supply whether or not currently in use for this purpose;

“discing” means breaking up the surface of land mechanically by means of a thin flat revolving disc;

“earthbank” means a ridge constructed from soil which forms part of a field boundary;

“historic monument” has the same meaning as in Article 2(2) of the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (Northern Ireland) Order 1995(1);

“improved grassland” means grassland on which more than 20% of the sward is comprised of ryegrass, timothy, red fescue or white clover;

“overgrazing” means grazing land with livestock in such numbers as to damage the growth, quality or species composition of vegetation on that land to a significant degree;

“ploughing” means making furrows in land mechanically, by breaking and turning over the soil;

“poaching” means the prolonged trampling of waterlogged soil by animals or humans or the use of machinery or vehicles on waterlogged soil;

“sacrifice area” means a supplementary feeding site which is grazed bare by livestock;

“semi-natural habitat” means an area which is not subject to an intensive farming regime, such as an area of moorland, scrub, heath, wetlands, species rich grassland, broadleaf woodland, a coastal habitat, or waterway. These examples are without prejudice to the generality of the expression;

“shelterbelt” means a row of trees planted on land to provide shelter from prevailing winds;

“supplementary feeding site” means any land under the control of a farmer (other than a farm building or farmyard) where concentrates, fodder or mineral licks are fed to livestock;

“tree preservation order” has the same meaning as in Article 65 of the Planning Order (Northern Ireland) 1991(2);

“undergrazing” means permitting the growth, quality or species composition of grazed vegetation to deteriorate significantly through the lack of, or through insufficient, grazing or management;

“waterway” has the same meaning as in Article 2(2) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999(3).

(1)

S.I. 1995/1625 (N.I. 9) to which there are amendments not relevant to the subject matter of these Regulations

(2)

S.I. 1991/1220 (N.I. 11); Article 65 has been amended by Article 26(1) of the Planning (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 S.I. 2003/430 (N.I. 8)

(3)

S.I. 1999/662 (N.I. 6) to which there are amendments not relevant to the subject matter of these Regulations