The New Farm Sustainability Payment - how to find out more

Date published: 8 January 2026

This Scheme will provide a vital safety net payment for farm businesses and aims to balance support with encouraging farm businesses to manage risks. FSP will introduce several key changes to support building more environmentally sustainable, efficient and resilient farm businesses.

These changes include:

• Implementation of the Historic Years Exercise to better target the FSP.
• The introduction of Conditionalities to deliver wider public benefits such as climate change mitigation and enhancing biodiversity.
• Progressive capping of payments above £60,000.
• New land eligibility rules to make rush, scrub, bracken and some woodland eligible for payment.
• New Farm Sustainability Standards to replace cross compliance.

A series of seven Sustainable Agriculture Programme (SAP) awareness events will take place throughout Northern Ireland. The events will commence on Monday 19 January, when details of the FSP Scheme and the range of other schemes included within the SAP will be discussed.

The first three events will be hosted at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE).

Monday 19 January at Greenmount Campus, Antrim

Wednesday 21 January at Loughry Campus, Cookstown and

Thursday 22 January at Enniskillen Campus.

Following these, events will be hosted across the province:

Tuesday 27 January, at the Bushtown Hotel, Coleraine,

Thursday 29 January at the Silverbirch Hotel, Omagh,

Tuesday 3 February at the Mourne Country Hotel, Newry, and

Thursday 5 February at the Millbrook Lodge Hotel, Ballynahinch.

At each location two information sessions will be held, at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm. After the formal presentation, you’ll have the chance to speak with CAFRE Advisers about how the Sustainable Agriculture Programme can benefit your business.

Prebooking is not required. For more information, please visit the Business Support area of the CAFRE website.