SAP New Schemes and Measures: Support Programmes

Farming for Sustainability - Knowledge Transfer

Farming for Sustainability – Knowledge offers support to all farm businesses through information, training, and peer to peer learning groups. Training will be linked to SAP Schemes such as the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme, the Beef Sustainability Package, the Bovine Genetics Project and the Carbon Footprinting Project.

Supporting Agri-Professionals Programme

The Supporting Agri-Professionals Programme launched in January 2025. This programme focuses on the professional development of industry advisers and consultants who provide farm businesses with technical advice and support, significantly widening the reach of knowledge transfer across Northern Ireland.

Business Sustainability Groups (BSGs)

Over 1380 farm businesses are now enrolled on Business Sustainability Groups, representing a range of sectors. The delivery programme for BSGs focuses on meeting the challenges of new environmental regulations, for example, ammonia, phosphorus, water quality and carbon reduction along with a strong focus on economic sustainability. CAFRE advisers facilitate the sharing of knowledge and data between group members to help them put new ideas into practice on their own farms.

Themed Groups

Specialised Themed Groups will deliver knowledge on particular topics such as water quality or suckler cow fertility. The duration of the groups will be tailored to the needs of the group and the topic. A Themed Group focusing on suckler cow fertility linked to the Beef Sustainability Package, launched on 18 June 2025. This short-term initiative (up to two years) will help farmers enhance herd fertility through knowledge sharing, mentoring, and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Farming for Sustainability - Innovation

A new Innovation Scheme is being developed to facilitate the identification of sustainable innovations and support their implementation. The plan is to launch this scheme towards the end of 2025.

What does this mean for me?

Farming for Sustainability - Knowledge Transfer can help you to develop your farm business to achieve improved environmental sustainability, enhanced productivity and stronger resilience.

What do I need to do now?

For further information on the Supporting Agri Professionals Programme and to register interest please follow the link below:

Supporting Agri Professionals - CAFRE

The Business Sustainability Group application period opened on 24 March 2025 and closed at 4.00pm on 19 May 2025. There will be additional opportunities to join Business Sustainability Groups with the next tranche expected to open for applications in March 2026. Details of when BSGs and Themed groups are open for applications will be posted on the CAFRE website.

To find out more about Suckler Cow Fertility Themed Groups please visit Suckler Cow Fertility Group - CAFRE.

Further new schemes will be launched in the coming months. Check the agricultural press, this webpage or social media channels regularly for further details and updates and consider enrolling. 

Farming for Carbon Schemes

Farming for Carbon focuses on actions to reduce carbon emissions on farms and offset carbon emissions through sequestration, which is the process of capturing, securing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in trees, hedges and soils. Reductions in carbon emissions will be encouraged through a number of mitigating actions.

One innovative project currently underway is the UK Dairy Carbon Network project. This project brings together dairy farms and supply chain partners from across the UK to explore and identify practical solutions aimed at reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. This project comprises a UK consortium led by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).

What does this mean for me?

The outworkings of this project will provide information to help you reduce your on-farm Greenhouse Gas emissions as well as providing important evidence to inform future schemes under SAP. This work is key to helping meet the targets set out in the Climate Change Act (NI) 2022.

What do I need to do now?

For further information and project updates visit The UK Dairy Carbon Network | AHDB.