Statutory Instruments

1997 No. 828

AGRICULTURE

The Farm Woodland (Amendment) Scheme 1997

Approved by both Houses of Parliament

Made

13th March 1997

Coming into force in accordance with paragraph 1

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Wales, acting jointly, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by section 2 of the Farm Land and Rural Development Act 1988(1) and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, with the approval of the Treasury, hereby make the following Scheme of which a draft has been laid before, and approved by resolution of, each House of Parliament:

Title and commencement

1. This Scheme may be cited as the Farm Woodland (Amendment) Scheme 1997 and shall come into force on the day after the day on which it is made or 1st April 1997 if later.

Amendment of the Farm Woodland Scheme 1988

2.-(1) The Farm Woodland Scheme 1988(2) shall be amended in accordance with the following sub-paragraphs of this paragraph.

(2) Paragraph 3(2)(b) (requirements for entry into the Scheme) shall be deleted except for the word "; and" at the end.

(3) In paragraph 8 (requirements for persons taking part in the Scheme)-

(a)in each of sub-paragraphs (1)(c) and (d), after the words "agricultural business" there shall be added the words ", if any,"; and

(b)sub-paragraph (2) shall be deleted.

(4) Schedule 1 (rates of grant for categories of woodlands) shall be replaced by the following Schedule-

Paragraph 9

SCHEDULE 1RATES OF GRANT FOR CATEGORIES OF WOODLANDS

Column 1	Column 2
Categories of converted woodlands	Amount of grant payable per hectare per annum
	£
Converted woodlands formerly arable land- if severely disadvantaged land before conversion	120
if disadvantaged land before conversion	180
if neither severely disadvantaged nor disadvantaged land before conversion	230
Converted woodlands formerly improved grassland- if severely disadvantaged land before conversion	110
if disadvantaged land before conversion	160
if neither severely disadvantaged nor disadvantaged land before conversion	200
Converted woodlands converted from land in agricultural use (other than use as arable land or improved grassland) which was either severely disadvantaged land or disadvantaged land before conversion	30

Tony Baldry

Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

10th March 1997

Lindsay

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scottish Office

11th March 1997

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Wales

Jonathan Evans

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Welsh Office

11th March 1997

We approve

Roger Knapman

Patrick McLoughlin

Two of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury

13th March 1997

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Scheme)

This Scheme amends the Farm Woodland Scheme 1988 ("the principal Scheme"). This Scheme applies to Great Britain.

The principal Scheme complies with Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2080/92 instituting a Community aid scheme for forestry measures in agriculture (OJ No. L215, 30.7.92, p.96).

This Scheme removes the requirement for participants in the scheme to continue to run an agricultural business, and for successors to initial entrants to run an agricultural business (paragraph 2). The Scheme also amends the rates of grant payable according to the use of the land prior to conversion to woodland (paragraph 2).

(1)

1988 c. 16. The expression "the appropriate authority" upon whom the powers of section 2 are conferred is defined in section 2(6) and 1(5) of that Act and is to be read with the definition of "the appropriate Minister" in those sections. Section 2 was amended, in relation to Scotland, by section 3(2) of the Crofter Forestry (Scotland) Act 1991 (c. 18).

(2)

S.I. 1988/1291, amended by S.I. 1991/1631, S.I. 1992/905.