The Direct Payments to Farmers (Controls and Checks) (Coronavirus) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021

Made: 24th June 2021

Coming into operation: 15th July 2021

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 50(3)(a) and (d) of, and paragraph 5 of Schedule 6 to, the Agriculture Act 2020[^f00001].

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1

• (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Direct Payments to Farmers (Controls and Checks) (Coronavirus) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 and come into operation on the 15th July 2021.

• (2) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954[^f00002] shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

• (3) In these Regulations, “claim year 2021” means a period of 12 months beginning with 1 January in that year.

Amendment of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 809/2014

2

For the purposes of claim year 2021, the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 809/2014 of 17 July 2014 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No. 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the integrated administration and control system, rural development measures and cross compliance[^f00003] applies as if in Article 68(1) for “1%” there were substituted “0.5%”.

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs on 24th June 2021.

Jason Foy — A senior officer of the — Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Regulation 2 modifies the application of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 809/2014 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No. 1306/2013 with regard to the integrated administration and control system, rural development measures and cross compliance for claim year 2021. The minimum percentage of beneficiaries on which on-the-spot checks are to be carried out is reduced from 1% to 0.5%.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument, as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2020 c. 21.

[^f00002]: 1954 c. 33 (N.I.).

[^f00003]: EUR 2014/809 as amended in relation to direct payment schemes by S.I. 2020/90 and 576. EUR 2014/809 is also amended by S.I. 2019/765. However, by virtue of the amendments in The Agriculture (Payments) (Amendment, etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, these amendments do not have effect in relation to direct payment schemes.