Explanatory note

Council Regulation (EEC) No. 1357/80 introduced a scheme (“the scheme”) for the payment of premiums for maintaining suckler cows. Council Regulations (EEC) No. 1417/81 and No. 1198/82 subsequently amended the scheme, and Council Regulation (EEC) 1199/82 further provided for the granting of additional premiums for maintaining suckler cows in Northern Ireland (replacing Council Regulation (EEC) 1056/81). Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 1244/82 (replacing Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 1581/81) laid down detailed rules implementing the scheme (as amended) in respect of applications for premiums made during the 1982/83 marketing year and successive years.

In addition to premiums payable directly under the scheme from Community funds Member States are authorised within specified limits to pay further premiums from national funds. During the 1982/83 marketing year this option is being exercised by the United Kingdom in the form of an additional national premium of 5 ECU per suckler cow.

The present regulations make provision for those matters which are left to Member States by the scheme and which are necessary for its proper implementation in the United Kingdom. They appoint “the competent authority” responsible for administering the amended scheme in its latest form in the various parts of the United Kingdom (regulation 4), and impose an obligation on a producer (and his successor if he has given an undertaking to continue the scheme) to permit an authorised officer acting on behalf of the competent authority to inspect and count cattle kept by him and to inspect relevant documents (regulation 5). The regulations specify the circumstances in which premiums may be recovered and the persons from whom recovery may be made (regulation 6) and they also create offences relating to the making of false statements (which are punishable on summary conviction by a fine not exceeding £400) (regulation 7). For the purposes of regulations 6 and 7 “premium” is now defined to include both a premium payable under the principal Council Regulation or the additional Council Regulation and an additional premium payment of which is authorised by those regulations at the discretion of the Member State (regulation 3(1)).

Corresponding regulations made in 1980 (the Suckler Cow Premium Regulations 1980 (S.I. 1980/1239), as amended by S.I. 1980/1770 and 1980/1979) and 1981 (the Suckler Cow Premium Regulations 1981 (S.I. 1981/1700)) remain in force and have effect in relation to applications for premiums under the schemes made during the 1980/81 and 1981/82 marketing years respectively.