Last chance for farm businesses to sign up to Soil Nutrient Health Scheme
Date published:
DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has announced the opening date for the final mop-up phase of the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme.
Online registration will be open from Wednesday 5 August to midnight on Monday 7 September 2026. Eligible farm businesses will receive an invite letter from AFBI in the coming days which will include guidance on how to register for the scheme online.
Announcing this final mop-up opportunity, Minister Muir said: “It is encouraging that over 90% of all farm businesses in Northern Ireland have already registered for the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme.
“This groundbreaking initiative provides farmers with individualised, farm nutrient and carbon data that is incredibly useful for effective land management. That’s why I have decided to make one final opportunity available for remaining businesses to register for the scheme.
"Registering for the scheme and completing the associated training is a conditionality of the Farm Sustainability Payment, so I would encourage those farm businesses which haven’t already done so, to sign up for this final opportunity before the closing date of 7 September 2026.”
Notes to editors:
- Registrations to Zone 1 of the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme (County Down and parts of Counties Antrim and Armagh) opened from May to September 2022.
- Zone 2 (Fermanagh, the west of County Armagh and South Tyrone) opened from June to August 2023.
- Zone 3 (North Tyrone Co Derry/Londonderry) opened from June to August 2024.
- Zone 4 (Co Antrim) and unregistered farm businesses in Zones 1-3 opened June to 8 September 2025.
- Scheme closed from 9 September 2025. 92.5% of eligible farm businesses had registered by close.
- The Mop-up Phase is opening to farm businesses in operation on or before 8 September 2025, which have not yet registered for the SNHS, one final opportunity to do so, from 5 August 2026 to 7 September 2026.
- For farm businesses in operation on or before 8 September 2025, registering for the SNHS and completing associated CAFRE training is a conditionality of the Farm Sustainability Payment.
- Farm businesses which have not registered for the SNHS or completed the CAFRE training by 15 May 2027 will incur a 10% penalty on their 2027 FSP increasing to 15% in 2028 for continued non-compliance.
- There will be no further registration opportunities for the SNHS after 7 September 2026.
- SNHS training is available through CAFRE at: www.cafre.ac.uk/snhs-training.
- Registration is through DAERA online services using a Government Gateway Account at: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/services/daera-online-services.
- The AFBI SNHS Admin team can be contacted on 028 9025 5212 or via email at: SNHS@afbini.gov.uk.
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- All media queries should be directed to the DAERA Press Office: pressoffice.group@daera-ni.gov.uk or telephone: 028 9016 3460.
- The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours’ service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.