The Beef Special Premium Regulations 1996

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

1.  These Regulations consolidate (with changes) the Beef Special Premium Regulations 1993 (S.I. 1993/1734, as amended by S.I. 1994/3131 and S.I. 1995/14) and they extend to Great Britain.

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 (OJ No. L296, 21.11.96, p. 50) and Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2311/96 (OJ No. L313, 3.12.96, p. 9).

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

4.  These Regulations–

(a) make provision relating to the form and issue of the national administrative document referred to in Article 3 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 3886/92 (regulation 3);

(b) impose conditions relating to the sale of animals over 3 months old, including such animals which have been imported into Great Britain (regulation 4);

(c) lay down provisions relating to the death, loss, theft or export from Great Britain of animals for which a national administrative document has been issued (regulation 5);

(d) lay down provisions regarding the replacement or duplication of national administrative documents (regulation 6);

(e) make provision for the making of applications for first premium, second premium and bull premium [known as “Community premium”] (regulations 7, 8 and 9);

(f) enable an applicant to set the starting date for the commencement of the retention period for the animals specified in his premium application (regulation 10);

(g) 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 appropriate Minister has identified as being overgrazed (regulation 11);

(h) enable Community premium otherwise payable to be reduced or withheld if the applicant uses unsuitable supplementary feeding methods (regulation 12);

(i) require an applicant to retain specified records and other documents (regulation 13);

(j) give authorised persons certain enforcement powers (regulation 14);

(k) require that specified persons (including applicants for Community premium) give authorised persons such assistance as they may reasonably request (regulation 15);

(l) specify circumstances in which Community premium (and a specified supplement to it) paid to an applicant may be recovered by the appropriate Minister and prescribe the rate of interest payable on amounts recovered in specified circumstances (regulations 16 and 17);

(m) create offences and lay down penalties (regulations 18 and 19);

(n) specify time limits for bringing prosecutions (regulation 20);

(o) make provision for offences committed by bodies corporate (regulation 21);

(p) revoke a number of statutory instruments (regulation 22).

5.  No compliance cost assessment has been prepared in respect of these Regulations.