Agriculture (Small Farmers) Act 1959
| Year | 1959 |
Agriculture (Small Farmers) Act, 1959
(7 & 8 Eliz. 2) CHAPTER 12
An Act to provide for the making of grants for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of small farm businesses; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.
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:—
1 Schemes for grants for increasing efficiency of small farm businesses.
(1) The appropriate Minister may by a scheme or schemes made under this section with the approval of the Treasury provide for the payment of grants to any person for the time being carrying on a small farm business of any such class or description as may be specified in the scheme in connection with the carrying out of a programme for increasing the efficiency of that business, being a programme of a duration of not less than three years submitted to and approved by that Minister for the purposes of the scheme; and any such scheme shall—
(a ) so define the classes or descriptions of farm businesses in respect of which grants may be made under the scheme as in the opinion of the appropriate Minister to secure that such grants will only be made in respect of a farm business capable of yielding an adequate return to any person carrying it on with reasonable efficiency and as a full-time occupation;
(b ) specify the matters in respect of which grants under the scheme may be made, which may include both—
(i) such of any particular operations specified in the scheme as may be included in the approved programme; and
(ii) the general purposes of the farm business;
(c ) specify the rate of any such grant and the maximum period in respect of which the grant is payable, whether or not the approved programme is to be completed within that period.
(2) A scheme under this section may be a separate scheme for England and Wales or for Scotland or for Northern Ireland, or a joint scheme for the whole of the United Kingdom, or for Great Britain, or for England and Wales and Northern Ireland, or for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
2 Schemes for supplementing existing grants to persons carrying on certain small farm businesses in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
(1) The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food may by a scheme or schemes made under this section with the approval of the Treasury provide for the payment of grants at such rates as may be specified in the scheme by way of a supplement to any grant or contribution such as is specified in the next following subsection payable in respect of matters arising during such period not exceeding three years as may be specified in the scheme, where the grant or contribution to be supplemented falls to be made to the person for the time being carrying on a small farm business in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, being either—
(a ) a business of a class or description to which a scheme under section one of this Act for the time being applies; or
(b ) a business of any other class or description specified in the scheme under this section in the case of which the person aforesaid, or any previous occupier of any of the agricultural land comprised in the business, has at any time since the first day of August, nineteen hundred and fifty-three received either assistance by way of payments under any of the instruments mentioned in the Schedule to this Act or approval for a programme qualifying him for such assistance,
and not being in either case a business in respect of which payments under any scheme under the said section one are being or have been made:
Provided that no grant shall be made by virtue of paragraph (b ) of this subsection by way of a supplement to any grant or contribution payable—
(i) in the case of a grant such as is mentioned in paragraph (b ) or (e ) of the next following subsection, in respect of any operations commenced on or after the first day of July, nineteen hundred and sixty-two;
(ii) in any other case, in respect of any matter arising on or after the said first day of July.
(2) The grants and contributions which may be supplemented by a scheme under this section are—
(a ) grants by virtue of the Agriculture (Ploughing Grants) Act, 1952, in respect of the ploughing up of land under grass;
(b ) grants under section fifteen of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous War Provisions) Act, 1940, towards expenditure incurred in carrying out a scheme for the cleansing or improvement of ditches;
(c ) contributions by virtue of the Agriculture (Fertilisers) Act, 1952, towards expenditure in respect of fertilisers;
(d ) contributions by virtue of section ninety-seven of the Agriculture Act, 1947, towards costs incurred in liming land;
(e ) grants by virtue of paragraph (a ) of subsection (1) of section six of the Agriculture Act (Northern Ireland), 1949, for the drainage of land used or to be used for agricultural purposes.
(3) A scheme under this section may be a separate scheme for England and Wales or for Northern Ireland, or a joint scheme for England and Wales and Northern Ireland.
3 Schemes for grants to persons carrying on certain small farm businesses in Scotland.
(1) The Secretary of State may by a scheme or schemes made under this section with the approval of the Treasury provide for the payment of grants in respect of such matters arising during such period not exceeding three years, and at such rates, as may be...
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