The Tir Gofal (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2003

• Citation: S.I. 2003/529 (W.)
• Sections: 7

Section 1 Name, commencement, application and interpretation

(1) These Regulations are called the Tir Gofal (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2003 and come into force on 7th March 2003.

(2) These Regulations apply in relation to Wales.

(3) “The principal Regulations” means the Land in Care Scheme (Tir Gofal) (Wales) Regulations 1999 .

Section 2 Amendment of regulation 2

At the end of regulation 2 of the principal Regulations there is added the following paragraph:—

(4) In these Regulations, references to “hardwood” mean Welsh oak only and payments in relation to any other wood are to be made at the “softwood” rate.

Section 3 Amendment of Schedule 2

(1) Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations is amended in accordance with the provisions of this regulation.

(2) For paragraph 2 there is substituted:—

(2) In relation to the management of heath land which is—

(a) high mountain heath and upland heath — £50 per hectare per agreement year

(b) lowland heath — £80 per hectare per agreement year

(3) Paragraph 3(b) is deleted and the following text inserted:

(b) management of unimproved neutral grassland — £90 per hectare per agreement year

(4) Paragraph 3(d) is deleted and the following text inserted:

(d) management of semi-improved grassland — £90 per hectare per agreement year

(5) Paragraph 4(a) is deleted and the following text is inserted:

(a) management of bogs — £40 per hectare per agreement year

(6) Paragraph 4(b) is deleted.

(7) Paragraph 5(a) is deleted and the following text is inserted:

(a) management of improved land which is coastal grazing marsh or floodplain grassland

(i) lightly grazed — £180 per hectare per agreement year

(ii) moderately grazed — £100 per hectare per agreement year

Section 4 Amendments to Schedule 3

(1) Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations is amended in accordance with the provisions of this regulation.

(2) In paragraph 2(c), sub-paragraphs (i) and (ii) are deleted.

(3) In paragraph 2(c) for sub-paragraphs (iii) and (iv) there is substituted:

(iii) on neutral grassland — £110 per hectare per agreement year

(iv) on acid and limestone grassland — £130 per hectare per agreement year

(4) For sub-paragraphs 3(e) and (f) there is substituted:

(e) establishment of heathland vegetation on acid grassland or maritime cliffs and slopes — £110 per hectare per agreement year

(5) For sub-paragraphs 3(h) and 3(i) there is substituted:

(h) establishment of new saltmarshes and creation of reedbeds on existing saltmarshes — £230 per hectare per agreement year.

(6) Paragraph 4 is deleted.

Section 5 Amendments to Schedule 4

(1) Schedule 4 to the principal Regulations is amended in accordance with the provisions of this regulation.

(2) After sub-paragraph 1(h) there is added:

(ha) erection of post, wire and netting fencing which is made of—

softwood — £1.75 per metre

hardwood — £2.00 per metre

(3) In sub-paragraph 1(k)(ii) for “£2.60” there is substituted “£2.88”.

(4) In sub-paragraph 1(l)(ii) for “£11” there is substituted “£10.80”.

(5) In sub-paragraph 1(m)(i) for “£110” there is substituted “£120”.

(6) In sub-paragraph 1(m)(ii) for “£160” there is substituted “£144”.

(7) In paragraph 3 there is inserted:

(c) heather cutting — £60 per hectare

(8) For sub-paragraph 5(a) there is substituted:

(a) removal or reduction of bracken by mechanical means or tractor mounted sprayer — £50 per hectare

(9) For sub-paragraph 5(b) there is substituted:

(b) removal or reduction of bracken by aerial spraying or hand held sprayer — £120 per hectare

(10) Sub-paragraph 5(c) is deleted.

(11) For sub-paragraph 8(a) there is substituted:

(a) introducing wild plants — £150 per hectare

(12) Sub-paragraphs (b), (c), (d) and (e) of paragraph (8) are deleted.

(13) For sub-paragraph 9(a) there is substituted:

(a) creation or restoration of a pond — £2.50 per square metre and subject to a maximum of £500 per pond

(14) Sub-paragraph 9(b) is deleted.

(15) For sub-paragraph 9(c) there is substituted:

(c) installation of soil bunds — £35 per bund

(16) For sub-paragraph 9(d) there is substituted:

(d) installation of a timber sluice — £140 per sluice

(17) For sub-paragraph 9(f) there is substituted:

(f) hard surfacing — £5 per square metre

(18) Sub-paragraph 9(g) is deleted.

(19) In sub-paragraph 11(a)(i) for “£100” there is substituted “£120”.

(20) In sub-paragraph 11(a)(ii) for “£150” there is substituted “£144”.

(21) In sub-paragraph 11(b)(i) for “£110” there is substituted “£120”.

(22) In sub-paragraph 11(b)(ii) for “£160” there is substituted “£144”.

(23) Sub-paragraph 11(m) is deleted.

Section 6 Amounts of Aid

In regulation 9 there are added the following paragraphs—

(3) Payments for capital activities in accordance with Schedule 4 are subject to the following overall limits for the duration of the Tir Gofal agreement—

(a) For farms of less than 20 hectares — £5,000;

(b) For farms of 20-50 hectares — £10,000;

(c) For farms of more than 50 hectares — £20,000.

(4) The Countryside Council may increase any payment in relation to habitats referred to in Schedule 2 or 3 by 10% where cattle have been used to achieve an environmental benefit, and by a further 10% of the original figure where Welsh Black cattle have been so used.

Section 7 Transitional provisions

(1) These Regulations have immediate effect in relation to Tir Gofal agreements signed on or after the date these Regulations come into force.

(2) In relation to Tir Gofal agreements signed before these Regulations come into force, these Regulations apply as follows—

(a) In the case of paragraphs that have been substituted, the substituted provisions apply from the date these Regulations come into force;

(b) In the case of paragraphs that have been deleted, the agreement holder will be entitled to continue to receive payments under the deleted provisions applicable when the Tir Gofal agreement in question was signed rather than the provisions inserted by these Regulations.