The Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment Scheme (Set-aside) (England) Regulations 2004

Additional standards of good agricultural and environmental condition in relation to set-aside land

4.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (3) to (6), the standards of good agricultural and environmental condition referred to in Article 32(2) of Commission Regulation 795/2004 that apply in relation to land set aside from production are set out in Schedule 1.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) to (6), the standards of good agricultural and environmental condition referred to in Article 32(2) of Commission Regulation 795/2004 that apply in relation to land set aside for non-food purposes are set out in Schedule 2.

(3) The standards of good agricultural and environmental condition referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2) shall apply to land set aside from production and land set aside for non-food purposes respectively in addition to the standards of good agricultural and environmental condition that apply to the land by virtue of regulation 4 of the Cross Compliance Regulations 2004.

(4) The provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2) shall not apply to land —

(a) set aside or afforested pursuant to Articles 22 to 24 or Article 31 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1257/1999(1) on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and amending and repealing certain Regulations, and

(b) counting as set-aside for the purposes of Article 54 of the Council Regulation,

to the extent that the requirements of Schedule 1 or 2 are incompatible with the environmental or afforestation requirements laid down pursuant to those Articles.

(5) A farmer shall be exempt from any given requirement of Schedule 1 or 2 in relation to particular set-aside land if, on an application being made to the Secretary of State regarding that requirement, he satisfies the Secretary of State that he should be exempted from it —

(a) to facilitate research into the effect of employing particular methods of managing set-aside land;

(b) in the interests of environmental protection;

(c) where the farmer is an educational establishment, to facilitate the fulfilment of its educational purpose;

(d) because during the set-aside period—

(i) by virtue of any power or authorisation conferred by or under any enactment, a pipeline, cable or pylon is being or will be laid through, or constructed on or across, the land, the laying or construction of which was not a proposal of which the farmer had been notified more than 5 months before the date on which the land was set aside;

(ii) maintenance of a pipeline, cable or pylon is being or will be carried out under statutory authority on the particular set-aside land; or

(iii) an archaeological excavation is being or will be carried out on the land;

(e) in the interests of human or animal health or safety;

(f) because such exemption is necessary, either to enable a serious cause of harm to plant health or serious infestation of any pest or specified weed to be treated, or to permit measures to be taken to prevent the development of any such cause of harm or infestation; or

(g) in order to benefit a charity (as defined in section 96(1) of the Charities Act 1993)(2).

(6) The Secretary of State may specify that any exemption granted pursuant to paragraph (5) shall be effective only until a date, or the occurrence of a particular event, specified in the exemption.

(7) For the purposes of this regulation, a “specified weed” means any of the injurious weeds listed in section 1(2) of the Weeds Act 1959(3), Rhododendron ponticum, Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) or Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera).

(1)

O.J. No. L160, 26.6.99, p.80, as last amended by Council Regulation (EC) No. 1783/2003 (O.J. No. L270, 21.10.2003, p.70).

(2)

1993 c. 10.

(3)

1959 c. 54.