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Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Comhshaoil agus Gnóthaí Tuaithe Depairtment o' Fairmin, Environment an' Kintra Matthers

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  • Agri-environment schemes

    Topics:
    • Grants and Funding, 
    • Rural Affairs, 
    • Countryside Management and Managing your Business, 
    • Environment Grants, 
    • Rural development programme, 
    • 2007 - 2013 Rural Development Programme, 
    • Countryside management

    Agri-environment schemes provide funding to farmers and land managers to farm in a way that supports biodiversity, enhances the landscape, and improves the quality of water, air and soil.

    Current Agri-environment schemes

    Under the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2014-21 there is agri-environment scheme available. The scheme has two levels, EFS Higher and EFS Wider.

    • Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS)
    • EFS Planner Instructions
    • EFS (W) Options and NPIs applicability for EFS (H) habitat types

    These are part-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

    Information on the Agri-environment schemes under the previous Rural Development Programmes

    • NI Countryside Management Scheme 2007-2013 information-booklet
    • Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme (ESA) and Countryside Management Scheme (CMS)

    Related content

    • 2014 - 2020 Rural Development Programme
    • About Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) 2011 -2014 and Phosphorus Regulations
    • About the Nitrates and Phosphorus Regulations 2007-2010
    • Administration of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP)
    • Axis 3 Leader grants
    • Constructed wetland open day
    • Constructed wetlands
    • Control of noxious weeds
    • Cross-Compliance
    • Environment Fund 2023 - 2028
    • Environment Fund – Water Quality Improvement Strand
    • Environment Grants
    • Environmental Farming Scheme Training Videos (Higher Core Training)
    • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA (Ag))
    • Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme (ESA) and Countryside Management Scheme (CMS)
    • EU agricultural and forestry processing and marketing grant scheme 2007-2013
    • Farm Family Options - business mentoring
    • Farm Family Options - collective training
    • Field Boundary (Hedge) Removal
    • Focus Farms Scheme
    • Household Waste Recycling Collaborative Change Programme (HWRCCP) 2023/24 – 2025/26 (PHASE 2) (for District Councils in Northern Ireland)
    • Memorandum of Understanding with Ulster Farmers' Union
    • Multi-year Strategic Strand Environment Fund
    • Nature Recovery Challenge Fund Competition 2025/26 – 2027/28
    • Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) and Phosphorus Regulations 2011-2014
    • Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) and Phosphorus Regulations 2015-2018
    • Nitrates Action Programme 2007-2010
    • Nutrients Action Programme 2019-2022
    • Peatland Challenge Fund 2024-2027
    • Platinum Jubilee Pollinator Garden Award
    • River Water Quality Monitoring
    • Rural development benchmarking 2015 - 2016
    • Strand 2 Including Land Purchase and New Projects Levering Significant Match Funding
    • Water quality
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