Agriculture and Horticulture Act 1964
| Year | 1964 |
Agriculture and HorticultureAct 1964
1964 CHAPTER 28
An Act to make provision for and in connection with the maintenance of minimum price levels for imports affecting the market for agricultural or horticultural produce of descriptions produced in the United Kingdom; to make further provision for assisting by the payment of grants the production and marketing of horticultural produce; to impose requirements as to the grading of horticultural produce when dealt in in bulk and as to the mode of packing and transporting such produce; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.
[15th April 1964]
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
Part I
Price Stability of Imported Products
1 Price stability of imported products.
(1) In the interest of maintaining in the United Kingdom a stable market for agricultural or horticultural produce of any description produced in the United Kingdom, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretaries of State respectively concerned with agriculture in Scotland and Northern Ireland acting jointly may by order specify produce of that description or any of its related products or both as commodities in relation to which the powers conferred by subsection (2) below may be exercised; and for the purposes of this section ‘specified commodity’ means any description of produce or related product in relation to which those powers are for the time being exercisable by virtue of such an order.
(2) In relation to any specified commodity the Ministers aforesaid may by order prescribe a minimum price level for imports into the United Kingdom; and with a view to maintaining the level so prescribed for any commodity or to allowing for the effect for that or other specified commodities of its maintenance, they may by order direct that on any specified commodity imported into the United Kingdom there shall be charged for the use of Her Majesty such levy as may be prescribed by or determined in accordance with the order.
(3) Where in the case of any specified commodity a minimum price level is prescribed or levy is imposed under subsection (2) above, the Ministers aforesaid may by order provide for the granting, in such circumstances and subject to such conditions as may be provided for in the order,—
(a ) of allowances or reliefs in respect of the levy (if any) chargeable on the imported commodity; and
(b ) in connection with the exportation of any goods from the United Kingdom, of such other allowances on or relating to the commodity (whether or not imported or subject to any levy) as appear to the Ministers aforesaid to be proper by reason of the effects of the minimum price level or levy;
and orders under this subsection may require the payment to the Ministers aforesaid or any of them of fees or other charges in connection with applications made to them or him with a view to the granting of any allowance or relief under this subsection.
(4) No order shall be made under subsection (2) or (3) above without the approval of the Treasury, unless the order deals only with the rates of any levy, allowance or relief which is provided for by a previous order.
(5) The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food acting alone shall have the like powers as the Ministers aforesaid have under subsections (2) and (3) above to make orders dealing only with the rates of levies, allowances and reliefs provided for by previous orders.
(6) Orders under subsection (2) or (3) above may make different provision for any specified commodity by reference to quality, origin or otherwise; and in exercising their powers under this section the Ministers aforesaid may have regard to the interests of agricultural or horticultural producers in the Commonwealth and elsewhere overseas.
(7) Any power to make orders under this section shall include power to vary or revoke any order made in the exercise of the power, and shall be exercisable by statutory instrument.
(8) Orders under this section, other than orders made after a draft has been laid before Parliament and approved by resolution of each House, shall be subject to the following provisions:—
(a ) any order by virtue of which a commodity not for the time being a specified commodity becomes a specified commodity shall cease to have effect at the end of the forty days beginning with that on which it is made (but without prejudice to anything previously done under the order or to the making of a new order), unless the order is within those forty days approved by resolution of each House of Parliament; and
(b ) any other order, not being an order dealing only with the rates of any levy, allowance or relief which is provided for by a previous order, shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
In reckoning for the purposes of paragraph (a ) above any period of forty days, no account shall be taken of any time during which Parliament is dissolved or prorogued or during which both Houses are adjourned for more than four days.
(9) Subject to the provisions of this section and of any order made under it, the provisions set out in the Schedule to this Act shall have effect for the administration of and other purposes relating to levies, allowances and reliefs under this section.
(10) For the purposes of this section ‘produce’ includes anything (whether live or dead) produced in the course of agriculture or, as the case may be, horticulture; and ‘related product’, in relation to produce of any description, means—
(a ) any product of a description which is obtained from that produce or from any related product, with or without any process of manufacture, or is obtained by the use of that produce or by that of any related product as a material, component or ingredient; and
(b ) any substance or article of a like nature or use to the produce or to any related product.
(11) The Government of Ireland Act 1920 shall have effect as if any levy imposed under this section were a duty or tax included among those mentioned in section 22(1) of that Act (which relates to reserved taxes).
(12) Section 2 of the Isle of Man Act 1958 (which relates to the division of customs revenues between the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man) and any other enactments relating to customs in the Isle of Man shall have effect in relation to levies under this section and any corresponding levies imposed in the Isle of Man as if they were duties of customs.
Part II
Further Grants for Horticultural Improvements
Extension of system of grants under Part I of Horticulture Act 1960
2 Grants for improving efficiency of small production businesses.
(1) The appropriate Minister may with the approval of the Treasury make a scheme containing provision for the making by him of a grant in connection with the carrying out by any person of a programme designed to increase the efficiency of a small horticultural production business and submitted to and approved by that Minister in accordance with the scheme.
(2) A scheme under this section (hereinafter referred to as ‘a scheme’) may—
(a ) provide for the payment of grants by instalments over such period as is specified in the scheme;
(b ) make the payment of grants, or of instalments of grants, subject to compliance with such conditions, whether as to the capacity of the business (determined in accordance with the scheme), the security of tenure of land on which the business is carried on, the period within which or the manner in which the programme or any part thereof is to be carried out, or any other matter, as are specified in or under the scheme;
(c ) provide for a programme approved by the appropriate Minister under the scheme to be modified from time to time with his approval, and thereafter to have effect for the purposes of the scheme as so modified;
(d ) contain such incidental and supplemental provisions as appear to the appropriate Minister expedient for the purposes of the scheme.
(3) Subject to subsection (4) below, where the appropriate Minister has approved a programme for the purposes of a scheme he may revoke the approval if, at any time before the carrying out of the programme is completed, it appears to him—
(a ) that the business has ceased to be carried on or has ceased to be a small horticultural production business; or
(b ) that any condition imposed in connection with the payment of a grant or instalments thereof under this section in relation to the programme has not been, or will not be, complied with; or
(c ) that in connection with an application for approval of the programme or of any modification of the programme the applicant gave information on any matter which was false or misleading in a material respect;
and if before the revocation any payment is made by way of grant under the scheme in respect of the programme, the appropriate Minister may recover the payment or so much thereof as he may think fit.
(4) Before revoking an approval under subsection (3) above the appropriate Minister—
(a ) shall give to any person to whom any payment by way of grant in relation to the programme would be payable, or from whom any such payment would be recoverable, a written notification of the reasons for the proposed revocation; and
(b ) shall accord to each such person an opportunity, either in person or by counsel, solicitor or agent, of appearing before and being heard by a person...
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