Agricultural & Environmental Schemes

The Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs offers several payments to farm businesses based on the land that they farm, or actions they take on their land. These payments are called Agricultural & Environmental Schemes and have replaced ‘Area-based Schemes’.

Single Application is opened from 2 March until midnight 15 May 2026. (Single Application can still be submitted until 9 June but will be subject to penalties).

The Entitlements Transfer Service opened on Tuesday 10 March and will close on 15 May 2026.

NEW ONLINE AGENT NOMINATION: A new online process is now in place for Agent Nomination. For further information go to Online Agent Nomination

Agricultural & Environmental Schemes Details

Useful information, Guides, How to Videos, Q&As and Forms related to DAERA’s Agricultural & Environmental Schemes.

Entitlements & Transfers

Payment Information and Guides and Forms on obtaining, transferring and confiscation of Entitlements. Entitlements form the basis of the Farm Sustainability Payment (FSP) and are what farm businesses use to get paid FSP each year.

Farm Sustainability Standards

Farm Sustainability Standards are the standard practices expected to be met by farm businesses in return for subsidy support.The Standards promote good farm management practices and encourage responsible stewardship.

These standards came into effect on 1st January 2026.

How to Videos Library

Here you will find the links to the How To videos within the Agricultural & Environmental Schemes pages.

Farm Business Management

Information and Guidance for New Farm Businesses, Business Changes for current Farm businesses and Agents and Review of Decisions will be available soon.

Registering for GG or NIDA and Online services

Details you need to know about registering for services such as Government Gateway, Online Services, Customer Portal,Agent Nomination Form will be available soon.

Agricultural & Environmental Scheme Details

Here you will find useful information, Guides, Q&As and Forms for Agricultural & Environmental Schemes that are currently available from DAERA. They are listed below;

Entitlements and Transfers

On this page, you will find the comprehensive Guide to the Transfer of Payment Entitlements, which contains all the essential information you need. We encourage all customers to review this guide carefully to ensure you are fully informed. In addition, you can access the most up-to-date forms related to Entitlements and the Transfer of Entitlements on this page.

This page is regularly updated as new information becomes available, so please check back periodically for the latest updates.

How to Videos Library

Here you will find the links to the How To videos within the Agricultural & Environmental Schemes pages.

Online Agent Nomination

New Online Agent Nomination Service

The new Online Agent Nomination Service is a secure and efficient online service for nominating an agent to act on behalf of your organisation.

Farm Sustainability Standards (FSS)

Farm Sustainability Standards are the standard practices expected to be met by farm businesses in return for subsidy support.

The Standards promote good farm management practices and encourage responsible stewardship.

These standards came into effect on 1st January 2026.

Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme

The Beef Carbon Reduction (BCR) Scheme is a new payment scheme for beef farmers in Northern Ireland

Farming with Nature Transition Scheme

The Farming with Nature Transition Scheme aims to increase the extent of habitats on farmed land across Northern Ireland. The actions available will create new habitats, provide new green infrastructure, protect watercourses and contribute to carbon sequestration on farms.

Suckler Cow Scheme

The Suckler Cow (SC) Scheme is a new payment scheme for suckler cow farmers in Northern Ireland.

Farm Business Management

Here you will find the information and forms you will need whether you are a New Farm Business, reporting a Business Change or wanting to know anything about Review of Decisions.

Registering for GG or NIDA and Online services

Here you will find the links to online services.

Farming with Nature Package

The Farming with Nature Package aims to support farm businesses across all land types, to make substantial contributions to environmental improvements and sustainability.

Beef Sustainability Package

The Beef Sustainability Package aims to help ensure the future viability of the beef sector. It comprises two measures; a Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme and a Suckler Cow Scheme which together seek to improve productivity and reduce emissions from older non-breeding animals.

Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS)

The Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) offers participants a 5-year agreement to deliver a range of environmental measures and has three levels:

FwNT Claim Submission How To Videos

These new How To Videos below show you easy to follow step by step visuals.

FwNT Claim Submission

The claim window closed at 5pm on Tuesday 31 March 2026. Late claims will not be accepted.

What to do if you are not happy with our decision on FwNT

If you have a query regarding any decision we have taken about your Scheme eligibility or payment, you should contact us on 0300 200 7848 and discuss this with us.

Am I eligible for the FwNT Scheme?

The FwNT Scheme is an annual Scheme with an annual cap. Farm businesses, who meet the eligibility and scheme requirements will be able to apply again in 2026.

To be eligible for FwNT Year 1 you must:

SC Scheme How To Videos

These new How To Videos below show you an easy to follow step by step visuals.

What to Do if You Are Not Happy with Our Decisions?

If you have a query regarding any decision we have taken about your BCR eligibility or payment, you should contact us on 0300 200 7848 and discuss this with us.

Am I eligible for SC Scheme

Am I eligible for the Suckler Cow Scheme?

How do I opt in for the SC Scheme?

To participate in the Scheme, you must be a registered online user to opt in online. Alternatively, an agent or authorised person can do this on your behalf.

Checks that we will carry out if you opt in for the SC Scheme

We will undertake a number of checks on your business if you opt in to the Scheme, using information that we hold.

SC Scheme Payments

Suckler Cow Scheme Payments

What is the Beef Carbon Reduction (BCR) Scheme

Beef Carbon Reduction (BCR) Scheme is a payment scheme for beef farmers in Northern Ireland.

Am I Eligible for BCR?

To be eligible for BCR payments you must:

Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme Retention Period Examples

To be eligible for BCR payments you must satisfy the eligibility requirements.

How Do I Opt-in for BCR?

You must opt-in for BCR online

Checks That We Will Carry Out If You Opt-in For BCR

We will undertake a number of checks on your business if you opt-in for BCR.

What is Farming with Nature Transition Scheme (FwNT)

The Farming with Nature Package is the replacement for the Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) and aims to support Northern Ireland farmers and land managers across all land types to make substantial contributions to environmental improvements and sustainability. The Package hopes to reverse the trends in nature decline through retaining, maintaining, restoring and creating habitats that are important for species diversity and improved connectivity between habitat areas.

BCR Payments

If you have opted-in to BCR and have an eligible business and kept eligible animals that were slaughtered in the relevant scheme year, we will issue a BCR payment to you from March of the following year.

How do I apply for the FwNT Scheme?

Application for the 2025 Farming with Nature Transition Scheme has now closed. If you have any queries about your application, you can contact our Advisory team on 0300 200 7848 from 9am – 5pm (Monday to Friday) or email FarmingwithNature@daera-ni.gov.uk

Applications could be made online through DAERA Online services during the application window which opened on Monday 23 June 2025 and closed on Monday 4 August at 5pm.

How Do I Carry Out the FwNT Scheme Actions?

To carry out the actions under the Farming with Nature Transition (FwNT) Scheme, farmers need to follow specific guidelines and best practices to ensure effective implementation. By following these guidelines, farmers can effectively implement the FwNT scheme actions and contribute to environmental sustainability on their farms.
The links below provide further information alongside Guidance Notes and Videos for each of the actions and supporting items.

Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme - Terms and Conditions

The information below is the Terms & Conditions that have been set out for the Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme

FwNT Scheme Checks and Inspections

We will undertake a number of checks on your business if you apply to FwNT, using information that we hold. We will check:

What is the Suckler Cow (SC) Scheme?

What is the Suckler Cow Scheme? The following guidance contains information on the Suckler Cow (SC) Scheme.

FwNT Scheme Payments

Payments for eligible claimed actions and supporting items will issue later in 2026 at the following rates.

FwNT Scheme Conditions

There is no minimum area requirement to participate in FwNT, however your application must be over a minimum value of £2500.

There is also a maximum application value of £9500.

You must agree to the terms and conditions, as part of the declaration contained in the link below.

Eligible Beef breeds

Table 1 below lists the payment eligiblity status of breeds registered on NIFAIS for the Suckler Cow Scheme.

FwNT Contact Details

If you have a specific query you can contact us using the email addresses or telephone number below. If you have a farm business ID please quote it on all correspondence or have it to hand before you call.

Farm Sustainability Payment (FSP)

As part of the Sustainable Agriculture Programme (SAP), the Farm Sustainability Payment (FSP) will replace the Farm Sustainability Transition Payment (FSTP) for 2026. FSP will open for applications from 2 March 2026 until 9 June 2026, with late penalties applied for applications received between 16 May - 9 June 2026.

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Agricultural & Environmental Schemes

NEW ONLINE AGENT NOMINATION: A new online process is now in place for Agent Nomination. For further information go to Online Agent Nomination

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