DAERA issues offers to EFS Tranche 3 applicants

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), has today announced that ‘Letters of Offer’ for the Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) Higher Tranche 3 have been issued.

Typical species – rich grassland flora’

The letters have been sent via email and details can be found in the EFS section of DAERA Online Services. 

The application window for this third tranche of EFS Higher closed on Friday 17 May 2019, and it has been oversubscribed with 932 applications. These have been ranked according to the highest environmental benefit and approximately 300 letters of offer will be made to achieve an orderly uptake in line with previous year intakes.   

If you receive a Letter of Offer you are encouraged to engage an Environmental Planner as soon as possible. Contact details for available planners can be found on the DAERA website. CAFRE will also be offering EFS Higher applicant awareness sessions in July to explain the next steps in the application process including engaging planners.

EFS(H) aims to deliver site-specific environmental management. The work will often involve payment for implementing a particular grazing regime, and, where applicable to your farm, perhaps scrub, bracken or rush control. It is anticipated the EFS Tranche 3 agreements will commence to issue in late 2019 with a start date of 01 January 2020 and run for five years to 31 December 2024. You are not committed to the Scheme until you return a signed agreement to DAERA.

The EFS is part of the NI Rural Development Programme and is part funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Download more information on the EFS.

Notes to editors: 

1. The department may take photographs and videos at announcements and events to publicise its work. Photographs, interviews, videos or other recordings may be issued to media organisations for publicity purposes or used in promotional material, including in publications, newspapers, magazines, other print media, on television, radio and electronic media (including social media and the internet). Photographs and videos will also be stored on the department’s internal records management system. The department will keep the photographs and recordings for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which they have been obtained. The department’s Privacy Policy is available on our website.
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3. All media enquiries to DAERA Press Office or tel: 028 9052 4619.

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