The Rural Stewardship Scheme (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2003

This Scottish Statutory Instrument has been printed to correct errors in S.S.I. 2003/177 and is being issued free of charge to all known recipients of that Instrument.

Scottish Statutory Instruments

2003 No. 303

AGRICULTURE

The Rural Stewardship Scheme (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2003

Made

5th June 2003

Laid before the Scottish Parliament

6th June 2003

Coming into force

30th June 2003

The Scottish Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 98(1) and (2) of the Environment Act 1995(1) and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby make the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Rural Stewardship Scheme (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2003 and shall come into force on 30th June 2003.

Amendment to the Rural Stewardship Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2001

2.—(1) The Rural Stewardship Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2001(2) are amended in accordance with the following paragraph of this regulation.

(2) In Schedule 4 (rates of payment for activities), in Part I (management activities), for item 10 (management of ancient wood pasture)(3) substitute–

“10.   Management of ancient wood pasture

a. £30 per hectare on rough grazings; and b. £100 per hectare on improved and unimproved grassland.”.

ALLAN WILSON

Authorised to sign by the Scottish Ministers

Pentland House, Edinburgh

5th June 2003

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Rural Stewardship Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2001 (“the principal Regulations”), which implement Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1750/1999 (O.J. No. L 214, 13.8.99, p.31) which prescribes detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1257/1999 (O.J. No. L 160, 26.6.99, p.80) on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund. The principal Regulations extend to Scotland only.

The principal Regulations provide for payments of aid to be made to any person who enters into an undertaking with the Scottish Ministers to comply with the general environmental requirements set out in Schedule 1 and to carry out, or as the case may be, to carry out and maintain, at least one of either the management activities set out in Schedule 2 or the capital activities set out in Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations.

Schedule 4 to the principal Regulations makes provision for rates of payment for management and capital activities. These Regulations amend item 10 in Schedule 4 (management of ancient wood pasture) to make provision for a rate of payment per hectare for rough grazings and improved and unimproved grassland (regulation 2(2)).

(1)

1995 c. 25. Section 98(1) was amended by the Scotland Act 1998 (Consequential Modifications) (No. 2) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/1820), Schedule 2, paragraph 120(7). See definition of “appropriate Minister” in section 98(5). The functions of the Secretary of State were transferred to the Scottish Ministers by virtue of section 53 of the Scotland Act 1998 (c. 46). The requirement to obtain the consent of the Treasury was removed by S.I. 1999/1820.

(2)

S.S.I. 2001/300, as amended by S.S.I. 2003/177.

(3)

Item 10 was inserted by S.S.I. 2003/177, article 2(7)(a)(ii).