These Regulations implement for Northern Ireland Council Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment. They apply in relation to projects for the restructuring of rural land holdings and projects for the use of uncultivated land and semi-natural areas for intensive agricultural purposes. They also implement Council Directive 1992/43/EEC insofar as those projects affect sites protected by that Directive. Before the beginning of a project to which these Regulations apply, a screening decision and consent must be obtained from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Regulations contain provisions that apply where a project affects a European Site or has transboundary implications. The Regulations also empower the Department to issue stop notices or remediation notices and prescribe offences.