1998 No. 468

SUGAR

The Sugar Beet (Research and Education) Order 1998

Made27th February 1998

Laid before Parliament2nd March 1998

Coming into force1st April 1998

Whereas in accordance with subsection (1) of section 68 of the Food Act 19841 the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State, acting jointly, after consultation with the processors and such bodies as in the Ministers' opinion are substantially representative of growers of home-grown beet, have prepared for the year 1998–99 the programme for carrying out research and education in matters affecting the growing of home-grown beet;

Now, therefore, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State, acting jointly, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by the said section and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby make the following Order:

Title, commencement and interpretation1

1

This Order, which extends to England and Wales only, may be cited as the Sugar Beet (Research and Education) Order 1998 and shall come into force on 1st April 1998.

2

In this Order—

“adjusted beet tonne” has the same meaning as in the interprofessional agreement made on 3rd October 1983, as re-issued (with amendments) in June 1995, between British Sugar p.l.c. of the one part and the National Farmers' Union of the other part;
“the Ministers” means the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State, acting jointly;
“processor” means a processor of home-grown beet;
“the programme” means the programme set out in the Schedule to this Order; and
“the year 1998–99” means the year beginning 1st April 1998.

Carrying into effect of the programme of research and education for 1998–992

For the purposes of carrying the programme into effect, contributions towards defraying the amount of expenditure, estimated in the programme to be incurred in carrying it out, to be made by every processor and by every grower of home-grown beet who delivers beet to a processor in the year 1998–99, shall be assessed and shall be collected and recovered as respectively provided in articles 3 and 4 below.

Assessment of contributions3

The contributions from every processor and from every grower of home grown beet who delivers beet to a processor during the year 1998–99, towards defraying the expenditure to be incurred in carrying out the programme for that year, shall be assessed as follows:—

a

in the case of any grower of home-grown beet, the contribution shall be at the rate of 12.0p for every adjusted beet tonne of home-grown beet sold by him for delivery to a processor in that year;

b

in the case of any processor, the contribution shall be at the rate of 12.0p for every adjusted beet tonne of home-grown beet purchased by the processor in that year.

Collection and recovery of contributions4

1

All contracts made between any processor and any grower for the sale of home-grown beet for delivery to the processor during the year 1998–99 shall provide that the amount of the grower’s contribution assessed in accordance with paragraph (a) of article 3 of this Order shall be payable by the grower to the processor out of any sums standing to the credit of that grower in account with the processor and be deducted by the processor from the amount payable to the grower.

2

The processor shall pay the proceeds, together with the amount of the processor’s contribution assessed in accordance with paragraph (b) of article 3 of this Order, to the Ministers on or before 30th April 1999.

3

The amount of any contribution which has not been paid to the Ministers by the date on which it has become due for payment shall be recoverable by them.

DonoughueParliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food18th February 1998

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Wales

Win GriffithsParliamentary Under Secretary of State, Welsh Office27th February 1998

SCHEDULEPROGRAMME FOR THE YEAR 1998–99 OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN MATTERS AFFECTING THE GROWING OF HOME-GROWN BEET

Article 1(2)

PART IPROJECTS TO BE CARRIED OUT BY THE PERSONS OR BODIES DESCRIBED IN RELATION THERETO AND ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE TO BE INCURRED IN CARRYING THEM OUT

	£	£
A. RESEARCH
1 Agronomy, physiology, nutrition, trials, pest and disease control, crop improvement: Broom’s Barn Experimental Station	1,008,463
2 Crop production and agronomy, variety assessments and trials, machinery development, precision farming, physiology, new chemistry, quantifying beet damage, beet handling: British Sugar p.l.c.	339,391
3 Variety Trials: National Institute of Agricultural Botany, Cambridge	144,641
4 Beet physiology, aphid investigations, statistical techniques: Rothamsted Experimental Station	154,577
5 Precision farming, mechanical methods of weed control: Silsoe Research International	37,537
6 Handling and interpreting data from electronic sugar beet, reducing sugar losses in storage: ADAS Silsoe	31,882
7 Nitrogen and heavy metals in pig manure: ADAS Terrington	6,090
8 Potassium in farm manures: ADAS Gleadthorpe	20,367
9 Chitin control of pests and diseases: ADAS High Mowthorpe	10,102
10 Reducing post harvest sugar losses from bruising: Harper Adams Agricultural College	8,000
11 Research project evaluation	35,000
		1,796,050
B. EDUCATION
1 Broom’s Barn Experimental Station	89,682
2 British Sugar p.l.c.	170,551
3 National Institute of Agricultural Botany, Cambridge	3,473
4 ADAS Guildford	6,000
		269,706
		2,065,756

PART IIESTIMATE OF GENERAL EXPENSES

	£	£
1 Attendance fees and expenses of members and officers of the Sugar Beet Research and Education Committee and its sub-committees: a Great Britain	10,609
b Other	5,305
		15,914
2 Administrative charges: a Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	22,544
b National Audit Office	3,500
c National Debt Office, National Investment and Loans Office	6,000
		32,044
3 Institut International de Recherches Betteravieres (IIRB): Subscriptions	16,656
Less, recoverable subscriptions	2,971
		13,685
4 Contingencies		31,015
	b/f from Part I	2,065,756
Estimate of expenditure to be incurred in carrying out the programme		2,158,414

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order provides for the carrying into effect for the year 1998–99 of the programme, as set out in the Schedule, of research and education in matters affecting the growing of home-grown beet.

It also provides for the assessment of contributions towards the expenditure on this programme and for their collection from the processors and growers of sugar beet in England and Wales. The rates of contributions at 12.0p per adjusted beet tonne are an increase by 1.0p from the contributions in the Sugar Beet (Research and Education) Order 1997 (S.I.1997/484).

“Adjusted beet tonne” is defined by reference to the interprofessional agreement of 3rd October 1983, as re-issued (with amendments) in June 1995, made between British Sugar p.l.c. and the National Farmers' Union. A copy of the re-issued agreement may be inspected during usual office hours at the offices of British Sugar p.l.c., Oundle Road, Peterborough PE2 9QU, the National Farmers' Union, 164 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8HL or the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Main Library, Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HH.

A Regulatory Appraisal has been prepared and a copy has been placed in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament. Copies of the Regulatory Appraisal can be obtained from the Sugar, Tobacco, Oilseeds and Proteins Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Whitehall Place (East Block), Whitehall, London SW1A 2HH.