Am I Eligible for the FwNH Scheme?

Am I eligible for FwNH?

• a current Tranche 5 EFS Higher Agreement that ends on 31 December 2026. 
  or
• a current FwN Higher 2026 Agreement that ends on 31 December 2026.
  and
• have a DAERA Category 1 or 2 Business ID.
• at least 3ha of eligible agricultural land and have management control of the land for the duration of the agreement.
• all land from the current Tranche 5 EFS Higher Agreement and current FwNH 2026 agreement must be included, unless the business no longer has management control of it.

Management Control

• For leased land, this requires a lease covering the agreement duration and allowing full management decisions. Legal advice is recommended for lease agreements.
• The Agreement Holder must be the active farmer unless otherwise approved. Land without full-term control is ineligible and may result in payment recovery.
• Management control must be maintained for all fields in the agreement for the duration of the scheme.

Land Eligibility

Options will only be available on land that is in an EFS Tranche 5 Higher agreement or in a current FwNH 2026 agreement which is under your management control.
If the eligible area drops below 3 ha, the agreement may be terminated and payments recovered.
Land covered by FwNH options will remain eligible for Farm Sustainability Payment (FSP).
For details on land eligibility please see the guide:

Guide to Land Eligibility | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Dual claims are only permitted in exceptional circumstances when prior approval has been given by the Scheme Manager. This is where two claimants use the same land at the same time to claim two different schemes, e.g. FwNH and FSP. See Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) for further information.