Title and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Hill Livestock (Compensatory Allowances) (Amendment) Regulations 1999 and shall come into force on 23rd February 1999.

Amendments to the Hill Livestock (Compensatory Allowances) Regulations 1996

2.-(1) The Hill Livestock (Compensatory Allowances) Regulations 1996(3) shall be amended in accordance with the following paragraphs of this regulation.

(2) In paragraph (1) of regulation 2 (interpretation)-�

(a)the definitions of "Council Regulation 3813/92" and "Council Regulation 3320/94" shall be deleted;

(b)the definition of "ECU" shall be deleted;

(c)after the definition of "eligible land", there shall be inserted the following definition-�

""euro" means a "euro unit" as defined in Article 1 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 974/98 on the introduction of the euro(4), and any reference in these Regulations to a specified number of euros in relation to a compensatory allowance shall be taken to be a reference to the sterling equivalent of that number of euros converted into sterling at the exchange rate (within the meaning of Council Regulation (EC) No. 2799/98 establishing agrimonetary arrangements for the euro(5)), as determined in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2808/98 laying down detailed rules for the application of the agrimonetary system for the euro in agriculture(6);";

(d)the definition of "the 1997 Regulations" shall be deleted;

(e)the following definition shall be inserted immediately after the definition of "the 1994 Regulations"-�

""the 1998 Regulations" means the Cattle Identification Regulations 1998(7);"; and

(f)in the definition of "the 1993 Suckler Cow Regulations", for "the Hill Livestock (Compensatory Allowances) (Amendment) Regulations 1998" there shall be substituted "the Hill Livestock (Compensatory Allowances) (Amendment) Regulations 1999".

(3) In paragraph (3) of regulation 2, for "the Hill Livestock (Compensatory Allowances) (Amendment) Regulations 1998" there shall be substituted-�

• "the Hill Livestock (Compensatory Allowances) (Amendment) Regulations 1999".

(4) In regulation 3 (compensatory allowances for breeding cows and ewes)-�

(a)in paragraphs (1), (3)(a) and (b) and (4), for "ECU", in each place where it occurs, there shall be substituted "euros";

(b)in paragraph (1A)-�

(i)for "the 1998 Scheme year" there shall be substituted "the 1999 Scheme year";

(ii)in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b)(i), for "£47.50" there shall be substituted "£73.39";

(iii)in sub-paragraph (b)(i), for "£88.70" there shall be substituted "£102.75"; and

(iv)in sub-paragraphs (b)(ii) and (c), for "£23.75" there shall be substituted "£36.69";

(c)in paragraph (1B)-�

(i)for "the 1998 Scheme year" there shall be substituted "the 1999 Scheme year";

(ii)in sub-paragraph (a), for "£5.75" there shall be substituted "£8.88";

(iii)in sub-paragraph (b)(i) and (ii)(aa), for "£3" there shall be substituted "£4.64";

(iv)in sub-paragraph (b)(ii)(aa), for "£88.70" there shall be substituted "£102.75"; and

(v)in sub-paragraphs (b)(ii)(bb) and (iii), for "£2.65" there shall be substituted "£4.09"; and

(d)in paragraph 3(a), for "£88.70" there shall be substituted "£102.75".

(5) In regulation 9 (powers of authorised persons), in paragraph 5(a), for "the 1997 Regulations" there shall be substituted "the 1998 Regulations".

(6) In regulation 12 (withholding or recovery of compensatory allowance), in paragraph 4, for "regulation 3(3) and (4) of the 1997 Regulations" there shall be substituted "regulation 29(3) and (5) of the 1998 Regulations".

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

1. These Regulations amend the Hill Livestock (Compensatory Allowances) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/1500, as already amended by S.I. 1997/33 and S.I. 1998/206), which extend to Great Britain.

2. S.I. 1996/1500 complies with Council Regulation (EC) No. 950/97 on improving the efficiency of agricultural structures (OJ No. L142, 2.6.97, p. 1).

3. These Regulations set revised rates of payment in respect of the 1999 Scheme year for the annual compensatory allowance for certain breeding cows and ewes payable under regulation 3 of S.I. 1996/1500.

4. These Regulations also make certain minor amendments consequential on the revocation of the Cattle Identification (Enforcement) Regulations 1997 (S.I. 1997/1901) by the Cattle Identification Regulations 1998 (S.I. 1998/871), the revocation of Council Regulation (EC) No. 3320/94 by Council Regulation (EC) No. 1103/97, the revocation of Council Regulation (EC) No. 3813/92 by Council Regulation (EC) No. 2799/98 and the replacement by the latter Regulation of the agricultural conversion rate between the ECU and national currency by the currency market exchange rate between the euro and the national currency.

5. No regulatory impact assessment has been prepared in respect of these Regulations.