Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Sheep Annual Premium (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 and shall come into operation on 8th December 1999.

(2) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(3) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to a Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Amendment

2.  For paragraph (2) of regulation 3 (application for a premium) of the Sheep Annual Premium Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992(4) there shall be substituted—

“(2) A producer who applies for a premium in respect of a given marketing year shall deliver his application to the competent authority—

(a)on or after 8th December in the preceding calendar year; and

(b)not later than 19th January in that marketing year (both dates inclusive) or if 19th January is a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday the next following working day.”.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations further amend the Sheep Annual Premium Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992 (“the 1992 Regulations”) to provide for a longer period in which to apply for sheep annual premium in respect of any marketing year as defined by Article 3(3) of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2467/98 (O.J. No. L312, 10.11.98, p. 1). A producer shall deliver his application on or after 8th December in the preceding calendar year and not later than 19th January in the marketing year concerned. Previously the producer was requested to deliver his application in the period from 8th December 1998 to 8th January 1999.

The 1992 Regulations continue to implement, as respects Northern Ireland, the Council Regulations set out in the Explanatory Note to those Regulations.