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In January, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Minister, Andrew Muir, gave an update on DAERA’s new programme of farm support, known as the ‘Sustainable Agriculture Programme’ (SAP) including the Farming with Nature Package which will replace the Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) as our new agri-environment scheme in Northern Ireland. 

The Minister has said that the Farming with Nature Package is one of his top priorities with an ambition to scale up nature friendly farming – with all farmers being rewarded for delivering environmental public goods, alongside food.   

RSPB NI has welcomed this prioritisation of the Farming with Nature Package as agri-environment schemes have become the primary mechanism for addressing declines in farmland biodiversity in the UK and across Europe. It will be a key mechanism to deliver conservation action in Northern Ireland.

So, what is an agri-environment scheme (AES) and how can it help wildlife?

To put it simply, an AES is when farmers are financially incentivised to maintain and create habitats on their farm and implement nature-friendly farming practice. In Northern Ireland different iterations of AES have underpinned the conservation of our most sensitive species and habitats.

For example, farmers retaining winter stubbles and sowing winter seed crops to create seed rich habitat has been vital for the survival of birds like red-listed Yellowhammers and Barn Owls. In County Antrim, nature-friendly farming practices implemented through the Environmental Farming Scheme has also played a role in helping Curlew on the path to be a recovering population in the Antrim Hills. 

Agri-Environment under-resourced in NI

There is evidence that when AES are utilised and targeted, we can see great results for species. However, when you look at the funding and uptake for AES in Northern Ireland, it is clear that it has been under-resourced. 

The State of Nature report 2023 highlighted how much agricultural land was in agri-environment schemes across the UK.  For England it was 20.7%, 21.9% in Scotland, and 28.5% in Wales. Alarmingly, in Northern Ireland it was just 4.8% of agricultural land. These contrasting figures show that we are far behind the curve compared to the rest of the UK, with the under-resourcing of agri-environment in Northern Ireland evident.

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