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AGRICULTURAL RETURNS ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1939 - SECT 1

1.(1) The Ministry of Agriculture (in this Act referred to as "the Ministry")
may require the occupier of any agricultural land, or the person having the
management on behalf of the occupier of any agricultural land [or in relation
to livestock and poultry and feeding stuffs for livestock or poultry, the
owner of the livestock or poultry] to furnish to the Ministry, at any time or
times in each year, such returns as may be prescribed in relation to

(a)the utilisation of the land;

(b)the [area] [and production] of the several crops on the land [occupied by
him or held by him in conacre] and the [area] [and production] of [such land
used] for grazing and for other prescribed purposes;

(c)the numbers [and descriptions] of livestock and poultry [owned by him];

(d)the [numbers and description] of persons working on the land;

(e)the agricultural machinery [and equipment] held by the occupier or other
person aforesaid; and

(f)the stocks of seeds, fertilisers and feeding stuffs held by the occupier or
other person aforesaid.

A return required under this section shall be made with reference to the
conditions existing on such day, or during such period ending on such day, as
may be prescribed (which day is in this Act referred to as "the prescribed
day").

(2) The Ministry shall cause a notice of the prescribed day for the purpose of
any return to be published at least twenty-one days before the prescribed day
in the Belfast Gazette and in such other manner as the Ministry thinks best
for informing persons affected by the notice.

(3) A notice under this section may demand that the required return shall be
furnished to the Ministry in writing within such time as may be specified in
the notice, and in that case a form for the furnishing of the return shall be
served on, or sent by post to, every person affected by the notice; and,
except in so far as a notice specifies that the required return shall be
furnished in writing, it shall be a sufficient compliance therewith if a
person to whom the notice applies makes the required return on demand to a
member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary authorised by the Ministry to demand
and receive the same.

A demand for a return, whether made by service of a form of return or by a
member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, shall be made not later than six
weeks after the prescribed day.

(4) An individual return or part of a return made under this section shall not
be used, published or disclosed without the authority of the person making it
or of the occupier on whose behalf it is made, except

(a)for the purposes of the preparation and publication by the Ministry of
agricultural statistics [and, so far as the return relates to persons working
on agricultural land, by the Department of Manpower Services of statistics];
or

(b)for the purposes of the annual agricultural statistics mentioned in
sub-section (3) of section eleven of the Wheat Act, 1932, and sub-section (4)
of section thirty-four of the Agricultural Development Act, 1939; or

[(c)for the purposes of any enactment (including the Agriculture Act (Northern
Ireland), 1949) having for its object the improvement or development of
agriculture or any branch thereof or the giving of assistance to farmers in
the carrying on of their business as farmers, or for the purposes of any
scheme having effect under any such enactment;

(d)in any manner which the Ministry thinks necessary in connection with
increasing or maintaining the production of food and other articles by means
of agriculture, and, in particular, so as to facilitate the proper
distribution of agricultural machinery, seeds, fertilisers and feeding stuffs;

(e)for the purposes of any prosecution

(i)under this section;

(ii)arising out of or in connection with any such enactment or scheme as is
mentioned in paragraph (c) of this sub-section; or

<(iii)arising out of or in connection with any application for, or for assistance in the acquisition of, agricultural machinery, seeds, fertilisers or feeding stuffs.]


(5) Any person who refuses, or without lawful excuse neglects, to make any
return required under this section to be made by him shall be liable on
summary conviction to a fine not exceeding [#25].

Any person who makes, for the purposes of this section, a return which is to
his knowledge untrue in any material particular shall be liable on summary
conviction to a fine not exceeding [#50].

Any person who uses, publishes or discloses, contrary to the provisions of
this Act, any individual return or part of a return shall be liable on summary
conviction to a fine not exceeding [#250].

(6) The Ministry may make regulations for prescribing anything which is to be
prescribed for the purposes of this section.

All regulations made under this section shall, so soon as may be after they
are made, be laid before each House of Parliament. If either House of
Parliament, within the statutory period next after any regulation made as
aforesaid has been laid before such House, resolves that the regulation shall
be annulled, the regulation shall, after the date of the resolution, be void,
but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder
or to the making of a new regulation.

S.2 rep. by 1949 c.2 (NI) s.44 sch.3

© 1939 Crown Copyright

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