The Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment and Support Schemes (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment and Support Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 (“the principal Regulations”). The principal Regulations make provision in Northern Ireland for the administration of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1782/2003 (OJ No. L 270, 21.10.2003, p.1) (“the Council Regulation”), and a number of other EC instruments relating to the system of direct support schemes (including the Single Payment Scheme) which was introduced under the Common Agricultural Policy in 2005.

These Regulations revise regulation 2 (Interpretation) of the principal Regulations.

Regulation 5 replaces regulation 6 of the principal Regulations to remove provisions relating to the requirement for farmers claiming under the Single Payment Scheme to have parcels of land for which they are claiming at their disposal for a ten-month period. Article 44(3) of the Council Regulation was amended by Article 1(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No. 146/2008 (O.J. L 46, 21.2.2008, p. 1) with the effect that Member States now need only fix a single day in the year on which farmers must have at their disposal the parcels in respect of which they claim under the Scheme. The new provision fixes this day as 15th May of the scheme year in which the claim is made.

Regulation 6 of these Regulations revokes regulation 9 (Horticulture) of the principal Regulations to remove the provision which allows horticultural crops to be grown as a secondary crop. From 2008 horticultural crops are eligible to support claims on the same basis as any other eligible land use.