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

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

1.  These Regulations consolidate (with changes) the Beef Special Premium (Protection of Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992, S.R. 1992 No. 569, as amended by S.R. 1993 No. 176, S.R. 1993 No. 480 and S.R. 1994 No. 476.

2.  The main change effected by these Regulations is that there is now payable a higher rate premium for uncastrated male bovines (known as “bull premium”). This reflects Council Regulation (EC) No. 2222/96 (O.J. No. L296, 21.11.96, p. 50) and Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2311/96 (O.J. No. L313, 3.12.96, p. 9).

3.  These Regulations make provision for the administration and enforcement of the special premium for male bovines payable under Article 4b of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 805/68 (O.J. No. L148, 28.6.68, p. 24 (O.J./S.E. Vol p. 187)), as amended, and as applied in detail by Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 3886/92 (O.J. No. L391, 31.12.92, p. 20), as amended.

4.  These Regulations—

(a) make provision for the making of applications for first premium, second premium and bull premium (known as “Community premium” (regulations 3, 4 and 5));

(b) enable Community premium otherwise payable to be reduced or withheld and such premium already paid to be recovered where excessive numbers of male bovines are being grazed and maintained on land which the Department has identified as being overgrazed (regulation 10);

(c) enable Community premium otherwise payable to be reduced or withheld if the applicant uses unsuitable supplementary feeding methods (regulation 11);

(d) require an applicant to retain specified records and other documents (regulation 12);

(e) give authorised persons certain enforcement powers (regulation 13);

(f) require that specified persons (including applicants for Community premium) give authorised persons such assistance as they may reasonably request (regulation 14);

(g) specify circumstances in which Community premium paid to an applicant may be recovered by the Department and prescribe the rate of interest payable on amounts recovered in specified circumstances (regulations 15 and 16);

(h) create offences and lay down penalties (regulation 17);

(i) specify time limits for bringing prosecutions (regulation 18);

(j) revoke a number of statutory rules (regulation 19).