Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Enforcement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

Interpretation

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

(2) In these Regulations—

“agreement” means an agreement made after the coming into operation of these Regulations under Article 3(2) of the Agriculture (Environmental Areas) (Northern Ireland) Order 1987(2) as regards agricultural land in any of the areas designated by Article 3 of, and Schedule 1 to, the 2001 Order;

“agri-environment scheme” means an arrangement which is—

(a)

regulated by a statutory provision providing for the payment of aid to persons who give an undertaking or enter an agreement in relation to land to which that statutory provision relates; and

(b)

approved by the Commission of the European Communities under Article 44.2 of the Council Regulation as part of a rural development plan drawn up pursuant to Article 41 of that Regulation;

“aid” means payments under the agri-environmental measure referred to in Chapter VI of Title II of the Council Regulation which are provided for in the programming document based on the rural development plan relating to Northern Ireland approved by Commission Decision C(2000) 3638 of 4th December 2000;

“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);

“Commission Regulation 1750/1999” means Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1750/1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of the Council Regulation(4) as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2075/2000(5);

“the Council Regulation” means Council Regulation (EC) No. 1257/1999 on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and amending and repealing certain Regulations(6);

“the Department” means the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development;

“farmer” has the same meaning as in the 2001 Order;

“the 2001 Order” means the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Designation Order (Northern Ireland) 2001(7);

“payment” means a payment under an agreement; and

“statutory provision” has the meaning assigned to it by section 1(f) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(8).

(1)

1954 c. 33 (N.I.)

(2)

S.I. 1987/458 (N.I. 3)

(3)

O.J. No. L391, 31.12 .92, p. 36 as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2721/2000 (O.J. No. L314, 14.12.2000, p. 8)

(4)

O.J. No. L214, 13.8.1999, p. 31

(5)

O.J. No. L246, 30.9.2000, p. 46

(6)

O.J. No. L160, 26.6.1999, p. 80

(7)

S.R. 2001 No. 269

(8)

1954 c. 33 (N.I.); section 1(f) was amended by S.I. 1999/663