Countryside Access Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations make provision for the payment of aid to farmers who agree to provide access to the public through their farmland or farm lanes, pursuant to Article 2(1)(g) of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2078/92 (O.J. No. L215, 30.7.92, p. 85) (“the Council Regulation”). Such aid is part of the zonal programme relating to Northern Ireland submitted by the United Kingdom to the European Commission pursuant to Article 3 of the Council Regulation. The European Commission in accordance with Article 7 of the Council Regulation approved this part of the programme in Commission Decision No. [C] (95) 1678 of 17th August 1995, a copy of which is available from the Department of Agriculture, Room 657, Dundonald House, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast BT4 3SB.

These Regulations—

(a) enable the Department to make payments of aid to eligible persons who give undertakings to provide a public access route and observe certain management requirements (regulation 3 and the Schedule);

(b) specify the requirements in relation to applications for aid and the documents to accompany such applications (regulation 4);

(c) specify restrictions on the acceptance of applications by the Department (regulation 5);

(d) make provision for the payment of aid to a new occupant where there has been a change in the occupation of farmland or a farm lane whether due to the death of a beneficiary or otherwise (regulation 6);

(e) specify the amount of aid payable and make provision in relation to claims for payment (regulations 7 and 8);

(f) confer on authorised persons powers of entry to carry out certain inspections for the purposes of the Regulations and require that reasonable assistance be given to such persons to enable them to exercise their functions (regulation 9);

(g) specify circumstances when the Department may withhold aid or recover payments of aid already made (regulation 10); and

(h) create offences in relation to the making of false or misleading statements and prescribe penalties (regulation 11).