Explanatory note

These Regulations implement Commission Regulation 817/2004 (O.J. No. L153, 30.04.2004, p. 30: Corrigendum O.J. No. L231, 30.06.2004, p. 24) laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation 1257/1999 (O.J. No. L160, 26.06.1999, p. 80) and Commission Regulation 1974/2006 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation 1698/2005 on support for rural development.

These Regulations also implement Measure 2.1 of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme.

The Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme was approved at the sixteenth meeting of the European Commission’s Committee on Rural Development on 24th and 25th July 2007.

In particular the Regulations implement Articles 13, 14 and 15 of Council Regulation 1257/1999 and Articles 36 and 51(1) of Council Regulation 1698/2005 (which deal with support for less favoured areas) by authorising the Department to make payment of less favoured area compensatory allowance (regulation 3) and the rates at which it is to be paid (regulation 4 and Schedule 1).

Regulation 5 provides for certain provisions of the “Principal Regulations” (the Less Favoured Area Compensatory Allowances Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007) to apply to payments made under these Regulations as they apply to payments made under regulation 3 of the Principal Regulations.

The Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme is available for inspection at the offices of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dundonald House, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast BT4 3SB.