Accessibility statement - Soil Nutrient Health Scheme

This application is run by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • tab through forms and menus in a logical order
  • view content in a meaningful order
  • zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
  • clearly understand the content and instructions of the website.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website aren't fully accessible:

  • Pop ups have been used
  • contrast issues with hyperlinks
  • title of pages could be more descriptive
  • missing form labels

What to do if you can't access parts of this website

If you need further information or assistance in using parts of this website, you can contact a DAERA Direct Regional Office.

A DAERA member of staff will be able to help you with your request.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren't listed on this page or think we're not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations, contact the DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.

If you are unhappy with the quality of service received, in the first instance, you can make a complaint to DAERA.

Enforcement procedure

If you remain dissatisfied with the Department’s final response to your complaint, you can refer your case to the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI)(external link opens in a new window / tab), which is responsible for enforcing accessibility regulations. 
You can contact them(external link opens in a new window / tab).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Dundonald House
Upper Newtownards Road
Ballymiscaw
Belfast BT4 3SB

Call DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.

If you have a hearing difficulty you can contact the Department via Text Relay using the Next Generation Text Service (NGTS).

  • Making a call from a textphone dial 18001 + number.
  • Making a call from a telephone dial 18002 + number.

There are also various Text to Speech applications available to use.

Technical information about this website's accessibility

DAERA is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Issues with technology

  • Some instructions for understanding content are reliant on colour, shape and positioning for showing the user
  • Portrait causes horizontal scrolling for the tables.( 1.3.4 Orientation)
  • Colour is used on the map to show the meaning of different fields. (1.4.1 Use of colour)
  • Contrast errors (very low contrast) with hyperlinks throughout application.(1.4.3 Contrast minimum)
  • Table runs off screen and causes loss of content when screen size is reduced or text resized to 200 percent, two dimensional scrolling required. (1.4.10 Reflow)
  • Page titles describe topic/purpose to an extent but could provide more details. e.g result page is named Soil Nutrient Health Scheme, this should include 'results' so those who depend on a screen reader can easily identify the purpose of the webpage. (2.4.2 Page titled)
  • Missing form label identified via Wave on summary screen for registration. All form fields should have a label associated with them. (2.4.6 Headings and labels)
  • Frames and select elements must have an accessible name. (4.1.2 Name, Role and Value)
  • Status messages are provided however, these are presented as pop up's which can be difficult for users who depend on a screen reader.(4.1.3 Status messages)

Issues with text

  • No known issues

Issues with PDFs and other documents

  • Tables should contain the same number of columns in each row and rows in each column
  • Tab order should be consistent with structure order
  • all page content should be tagged
  • text language should be specified
  • document title should show in title bar

Issues with images, video and audio

  • No known issues

Issues with interactive tools and transactions

  • No known issues

How we tested this website

This website was last tested on 20/01/2024. The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

The pages were tested for code compliance using the Axe and WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) Chrome extensions and NVDA screen reader. The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust).

We tested the following sample pages. The accessibility evaluation report (HPRM ref) can be made available on request.

  1. Index
  2. Results
  3. Registration

What we're doing to improve accessibility

The Department is actively engaged in improving the accessibility of its applications. As part of our 'UX Checklist', we require developers to design software with accessibility compliance built in. In those circumstances where compliance cannot be met, reasons for this should be documented, along with steps for addressing issues. We also recommend that teams conduct user research to ascertain user requirements before developing new applications.

This statement was prepared on 24 January 2024.

Back to top