Agriculture Citation, commencement and interpretation 1 1 These Regulations may be cited as The Farm Sustainability Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 and come into operation on 10 th March 2025. 2 The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly. Amendment of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 640/2014 2 In Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No. 640/2014 supplementing Regulation (EU) No. 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the integrated administration and control system and conditions for refusal or withdrawal of payments and administrative penalties applicable to direct payments, rural development support and cross compliance , in Article 6– a for paragraph 1 substitute– 1. The relevant authority shall assess the quality of the identification system for agricultural parcels annually and where the results of the quality assessment reveal deficiencies in the system, it may take appropriate remedial action. ; b for paragraph 2 substitute– 2. The relevant authority shall perform the assessment referred to in paragraph 1 on the basis of a sample of reference parcels. c in paragraph 3, omit from “by” to the end of that paragraph. The Common Agricultural Policy Direct Payments and Support Schemes (Cross Compliance) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014 3 1 In regulation 4(1) of the Common Agricultural Policy Direct Payments and Support Schemes (Cross Compliance) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014 – a omit subparagraphs (a) and (b); b for subparagraph (c) substitute- c the Department is the specialist control body which shall bear the responsibility of carrying out the controls and checks in respect of Schedule 1, and Annex II to, the Horizontal Regulation. 2 Omit regulation 4(2). Amendment of the Common Agricultural Policy Basic Payment and Support Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 4 1 The Common Agricultural Policy Basic Payment and Support Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 shall be amended as follows. 2 In regulation 2 (interpretation), in the appropriate place insert– “ the 2025 scheme year ” means the scheme year beginning on 1 st January and ending on 31 st December 2025, . 3 Regulation 4 shall be amended as follows– a in paragraph (1)– i after subparagraph (a), insert– aa on or before 15 th May in relation to the 2025 scheme year and subsequent scheme years, , ii in subparagraph (b) for the full stop substitute “, or” , iii after subparagraph (b), add– c otherwise from 16 th May of the preceding calendar year to 15 th May (both those dates included) of the first calendar year where the first calendar year is 2026 or a subsequent year in which the transferee may include those entitlements in the transferee’s application for direct payments. , b in paragraph (2), after “2 nd May” insert “or 15 th May” . Amendment of The Common Agricultural Policy Direct Payments and Support Schemes (Cross Compliance) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 5 In The Common Agricultural Policy Direct Payments and Support Schemes (Cross Compliance) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 – a in regulation 2, for “in accordance with regulations 3 to 5” substitute “as follows:” , b omit regulation 3. Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs on 13 th February 2025. Dr Jason Foy A senior officer of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs