{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/suckler-cow-scheme-regulations-northern-ireland-2025/regulation-2",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/suckler-cow-scheme-regulations-northern-ireland-2025/regulation-2.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/2025/41",
  "legislation_title": "The Suckler Cow Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/suckler-cow-scheme-regulations-northern-ireland-2025",
  "path": "regulation/2",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "2",
  "heading": "Interpretation",
  "text": "In these Regulations—\n“age at first calving” means in relation to a heifer, its age in months when her first calf is born;\n“applicant” means an eligible farm business which has applied for a payment under the scheme;\n“authorised person” means any person authorised by the Department to act under section 40(1) of the Agriculture Act (Northern Ireland) 1949 in matters relating to these Regulations;\n“birth” means a registered birth on NIFAIS;\n“calving interval” means the number of days starting from the day after a calf is born and ending on the day a subsequent calf is born to the same eligible cow;\n“the Department” means the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs;\n“eligible cow” means a female bovine animal of an eligible beef breed specified in the Schedule as registered on NIFAIS that has given birth to, or aborted one or more calves;\n“eligible calving event” means where an eligible cow or heifer gives birth to either—\n(a)an eligible live calf which is—\n(i)born alive and lives for at least 24 hours after its birth;\n(ii)identified with an approved ear tag;\n(iii)tested in compliance with the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Eradication Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2016; and\n(iv)registered on NIFAIS; or\n(b)an eligible dead calf which is—\n(i)a bovine foetus or calf born dead or which dies within 24 hours of birth;\n(ii)identified with an approved ear tag;\n(iii)tested in compliance with the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Eradication Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2016;\n(iv)meets the criteria as stated in regulation 4(3);\n(v)registered on NIFAIS; and\n(vi)confirmed as having been disposed of by a method approved by the Department; or\n(c)in the case of a multiple birth, a calf falling within paragraph (a) or (b) or both;\n“eligible farm business” means a farm business where the eligible calving event occurred and which meets the requirements of regulation 5 in a relevant scheme year;\n“eligible heifer” means a female bovine animal of an eligible beef breed specified in the Schedule as registered on NIFAIS that has never given birth to or aborted a calf;\n“Farm Sustainability Transition Payment Scheme” has the same meaning as in the Farm Sustainability (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2025;\n“Farm Sustainability Payment Scheme” has the same meaning as in the Farm Sustainability (Transitional Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025;\n“NIFAIS” means the Northern Ireland Food Animal Information System maintained by the Department;\n“relevant scheme year” means the year of application to the scheme;\n“scheme” means the Suckler Cow Scheme;\n“scheme payment” means a payment under regulations 3 and 7;\n“Scheme Year 1” means the year beginning on 1st April 2025 and ending on 31st March 2026;\n“Scheme Year 2” means the year beginning on 1st April 2026 and ending on the 31st March 2027;\n“Scheme Year 3” means the year beginning on 1st April 2027 and ending on 31st March 2028;\n“Scheme Year 4” means the year beginning on 1st April 2028 and ending on the 31st March 2029;",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in reg. 2 substituted (23.10.2025) by The Agricultural Schemes (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 (S.R. 2025/161), regs. 1, 3(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Reg. 2 in operation at 1.4.2025, see reg. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "S.R. 2016 No. 22 as amended by S.R, 2024 No. 225"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "S.R. 2025 No. 33"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2025/41/regulation/2",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T00:26:37.258488+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}