The Agriculture Act 1986 (Amendment) Regulations 1994

Made: 7th February 1994

Laid before Parliament: 8th February 1994

Coming into force: 1st March 1994

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State, being Ministers designated for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972[^f00001] in relation to the common agricultural policy of the European Economic Community[^f00002], acting jointly, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by that section and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby make the following Regulations:

Title, commencement and extent

1

These Regulations may be cited as the Agriculture Act 1986 (Amendment) Regulations 1994, shall come into force on 1st March 1994 and shall extend to Great Britain.

Amendment of section 18 of the Agriculture Act 1986

2

In section 18 of the Agriculture Act 1986[^f00003] (designation and management of environmentally sensitive areas) in subsection (4)—

• (a) after paragraph (a) there shall be inserted—

(aa) the requirements as to public access which may be included in such agreements

, and

• (b) in paragraph (b) for the words “such agreements must impose such requirements” there shall be substituted “requirements included in such agreements under paragraph (a) or paragraph (aa) above must be imposed”.

Signed

In witness whereof the Official Seal of the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is hereunto affixed on

Gillian Shephard — Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food — 2nd February 1994.

We consent,

Hector Monro — Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scottish Office — 7th February 1994

Explanatory note

(This Note is not part of the Regulations)

Section 18 of the Agriculture Act 1986 (“the 1986 Act”) gives the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in relation to an area in England, and the Secretary of State in relation to an area in Wales or Scotland (“the Minister”) power to designate areas as environmentally sensitive areas where it appears to them particularly desirable to conserve, protect or enhance environmental features in those areas by the maintenance or adoption of particular agricultural methods. Section 18(3) of the 1986 Act enables the Minister to enter into a management agreement with any person having an interest in agricultural land in a designated area by which that person agrees in consideration of payments to be made by the Minister to manage land in accordance with the agreement.

These Regulations amend section 18 of the 1986 Act and form part of the programme to implement Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2078/92 (OJ No. L215, 30.7.92, p.85) on agricultural methods compatible with the protection of the environment and the maintenance of the countryside, insofar as that Regulation requires management of land for public access (Articles 2(1)(g), 3 and 5).

The Regulations enable the Minister in an order designating an environmentally sensitive area to state the requirements as to public access which may be included in an agreement.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1972 c. 68.

[^f00002]: S.I. 1972/1811.

[^f00003]: 1986 c. 49.