Am I Eligible for the FwNH Scheme?

Am I eligible for FwNH?

To be eligible for FwNH applicants must have:

• an expired Tranche 4 EFS Higher Agreement that ended on 31 December 2025.
• 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 most recent Tranche 4 EFS Higher 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 was in an EFS Tranche 4 Higher 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 not permitted. This is where two claimants use the same land at the same time to claim two different schemes, e.g. FwNH and FSP. If this occurs in most cases the person claiming the FSP will be entitled to apply for FwNH. See T&Cs for further information.