Accessibility Statement - Farming With Nature

This accessibility statement applies to Farming With Nature.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

• change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
• zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

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:

• the map interface is not keyboard tabbable and because of this, some users may be unable to proceed through the stepped process
• the map is fixed to a landscape orientation on mobile devices
• there is missing alternate text on various images, for instance on the main menu and on map polygon icons and other button icons
• there is no heading hierarchy for structuring the content on the page
• pop-up windows displaying errors or status messages do not trap focus, so keyboard users may be able to tab around the parent window: these messages also do not have roles associated with them to alert screenreader users when an important message is displayed
• some map interface buttons and table rows have no visible border to indicate when they have received focus

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the DAERA Helpline who will direct you towards the correct branch or division.

• email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk
• call 0300 200 7852

You can also contact the DAERA Helpline if you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille.

If you have a hearing difficulty you can contact DAERA 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

If you cannot view the map on our contact us page, call or email us for directions.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI).

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.

Compliance status

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

This website is not compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

• Maps are items which may not need to be fixed provided essential information is made available in an accessible format. It's not clear if this exemption also extends to mapping services (i.e. any application which relies on a geospatial element to submit a form or claim) - particularly for a transactional service which the user is obliged to use to complete an action, and where there is no alternative.
• Missing alternate text on images throughout; on side menu; on map polygon icons (1.1.1 Non-text Content)
• Icons on buttons either missing alternate text or not marked as decorative (when accompanied by visible text) (1.1.1 Non-text Content)
• Input fields throughout not associated with visible labels or without an aria-label (1.1.1 Non-text Content)
• No heading hierarchy used; no H1 heading and no heading structure or heading roles used on side panels (1.3.1 Info and Relationships)
• No use of NAV elements to identify navigation structures (1.3.1 Info and Relationships)
• No page regions identified - If the page has visual regions or significant page areas, ensure the regions are defined with header, nav, main, footer, etc. elements. (1.3.1 Info and Relationships)
• Welcome page before ‘Skip to main content’ - When using screenreader, all instructions in the map functionality are read out as part of the sequence even though they are visually hidden, including clickable regions, ‘I want to’ buttons, Esri map instructions and tablular information. This would make it almost impossible for screenreader users to understand this page.  (1.3.2 Meaningful sequence)
• Sensory characteristics have been used as to convey information on the map relying on shape and colour. (1.3.3)
• On mobile devices, orientation is restricted to landscape alone. This is considered a failure of this criterion, unless considered essential (1.3.4 Orientation)
• Light green and turquoise tags do not pass contrast ratio (1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum))
• ‘Minimum payment amount not met’ warning fails contrast (1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum))
• Images of text are used for the side menu, which are neither customisable nor essential (1.4.5 Images of Text)
• ‘I want to’ Side panel accordion not tabbable at all, only read out by screenreader when hovering over the tab title. (1.4.13 Content on Hover)
• Side panels cannot be accessed using keyboard alone (not keyboard tabbable). This means many sight-impaired users or users unable to use a mouse will be able to complete an FwN application. Cannot tab through the collapsible accordion panels. Cannot tab to various buttons in side panels e.g. Search field icon button, Select field button. Scrollable regions do not have keyboard access (2.1.1 Keyboard)
• Some content within the collapsible panels is tabbable but then impossible to proceed as some buttons are not keyboard-tabbable, so the user cannot proceed. (2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap)
• No warning to adjust or extend the session observed.(2.2.1 Timing Adjustable)
• No 'skip to main' content link has been provided on the maps page. (2.4.1 Bypass Blocks)
• Page titles are not descriptive of the topic or purpose. Make the page titles descriptive. (2.4.2 Page Title)
• Following a tabbable sequence through the map collapsible panels is almost impossible as the panels themselves are not keyboard-tabbable.(2.4.3 Focus Order)
• Suspicious link text used on the welcome and confirmation page- make the link text descriptive or where the user will be navigated to. There is also a broken same-page link within the confirmation page. (2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context))
• Business field rows are not highlighted with visible focus to identify that they have been clicked on (2.4.7 Focus Visible)
• Some side panel buttons do not use the GOV.UK visible focus indicator (e.g. search icon button, Select field button) (2.4.7 Focus Visible)
• When a pop-up windows are open, only that window should have focus. It should not be possible to tab to items in the parent window, since the focus is obscured (e.g. 'A riparian buffer could not be found' pop-up message) (2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum))
• Setting riparian buffer length uses slider functionality and there is not single pointer operation alternative.(2.5.7 Dragging Movements)
• Hyperlinks within the help section and the 'Welcome' and 'Confirmation pages' open in a new window without informing the user of this change of context. (3.2.2 On Input)
• Labels are not always correctly associated with their respective form fields, either by a visible label or using aria-label, e.g. 'Field ID' label is not properly associated with form field, 'Enter a field ID' has no label or aria-label (3.3.2 Labels or Instructions)
• There is no 'main' landmark region and all page content should be contained with landmarks (4.1.2 Name, Role, Value)
• No roles or live regions were observed, which help screenreading software to prioritise and identify error or status messages (4.1.3 Status Messages)

Disproportionate burden

• Not applicable

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Parts of this application are map-based and not all aspects of the functionality can be made fully accessible. Gov.uk advises that maps do not need to be fixed but that essential information must be provided in an accessible format.

PDFs and other documents

• Not applicable

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

DAERA 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 endeavour to carry out user research to ascertain user requirements and conduct usability workshopping before launching new applications.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 29 May 2025. It was last reviewed on 25 February 2026.

This website was last tested on 25 February 2026 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

The following pages were tested:

• Landing page
• Welcome
• Map - I want to...
• Map - Add new hedgerows
• Map - Add riparian buffers
• Map - Proceed to summary
• Map - Layer list
• Map - Map key

We chose to test those pages which were most commonly used, and most representative of the general functionality and layout of the web application. Sample pages were tested for code compliance using the Axe and WAVE testing tools. The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust). We also test using NVDA screenreader, and Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker (where applicable).

The full accessibility test report can be made available on request.