PART IIELIGIBILITY
Eligibility for payment of less favoured area support3
1
Payment of less favoured area support may be made to an applicant in respect of a Scheme Year only if—
a
subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), that applicant has given an undertaking to continue to use eligible land for a period of not less than five years from the first payment made under—
i
these Regulations;
ii
the 2007 Regulations; or
iii
the 2005 Regulations; and
b
that applicant has, in the opinion of the Scottish Ministers, met the requirements of cross compliance on the applicant’s holding throughout the Scheme Year.
2
An applicant may be released from the undertaking referred to in paragraph (1)(a)—
a
if the applicant has, during the period for which the undertaking was given, transferred all or part of the holding to another person and that person agrees to take over the undertaking;
b
if the applicant has, during the period for which the undertaking was given, transferred all or part of the holding to an organisation, which in the opinion of the Scottish Ministers, has the main objective of nature conservation and where the transfer is for the principle purpose of securing a permanent change of land use into nature conservation with an associated benefit to the environment; or
c
if, in the opinion of Scottish Ministers, the applicant is prevented from continuing to discharge that undertaking by reason of any material circumstances beyond the control of that person.
3
In the event that the applicant has ceased farming and the person to whom all or part of the holding has been transferred does not agree to be bound by the undertaking referred to in paragraph (1)(a), the Scottish Ministers may, if satisfied that the applicant has, at the time of the cessation of farming, honoured a significant proportion of the undertaking, release the applicant from that undertaking.