Farmers who signed up to Northern Ireland’s new environmental support programme last year are being urged to submit their payment claims when the window opens on Monday. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has confirmed that claim submissions for the Farming with Nature Transition Scheme will be accepted from 2 March through to 31 March 2026. This marks a critical deadline for the first cohort of participants in the post-Brexit agricultural reform programme.
The scheme represents the first phase of the broader Farming with Nature Package, which replaces the previous Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) and forms a cornerstone of DAERA’s Sustainable Agriculture Programme. With payments of up to £9,500 available per farm business for the 2025/26 period, the transition scheme is designed to reward farmers for creating new habitats, protecting watercourses and increasing carbon storage while maintaining food production.
Claim Window Deadlines and Requirements
Scheme participants must submit their claims online between Monday 2 March and 5pm on Tuesday 31 March 2026. Late claims will not be accepted, and all work—except for specific winter stubble and cover crop retention periods—must be completed by 31 March 2026 to be eligible for payment.
Farmers who were unable to complete all their planned actions due to adverse weather or other circumstances are advised to claim only for work actually completed and to reapply when the scheme reopens for 2026 applications. This annual approach differs from the multi-year commitments of the previous EFS, allowing farmers to adjust their environmental actions yearly.
- Claim window: 2 March – 31 March 2026 (5pm deadline)
- Work completion deadline: 31 March 2026 (winter stubble and multi-species cover crops must be retained until 15 February 2026)
- Payment commencement: Summer 2026
- Method: Online submission only via DAERA Online Services
- Documentation: Participants must retain all invoices for capital items such as seed; invoices dated prior to the date of acceptance into the scheme will render actions ineligible
Minister Urges Timely Submissions
Andrew Muir, Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, emphasised the importance of meeting the deadline to ensure farmers receive proper compensation for their environmental work.
“Protecting and restoring our natural environment is one of my key priorities, and the Farming with Nature Transition Scheme is supporting farmers to take meaningful action for nature,” Minister Muir said.
“I encourage all eligible participants to complete their claim within the 2–31 March 2026 window. Timely claims help deliver payments and provide greater confidence for farm businesses while ensuring farmers are properly rewarded for the work they have carried out.”
Five Actions Funded Under the Transition Scheme
The 2025 scheme offered five specific environmental actions designed to increase habitat extent and connectivity across Northern Ireland’s farmed landscape:
- Planting new hedgerows (£6.49 per metre)
- Creating riparian buffer strips to protect watercourses (£1.41 per metre for 2m strips)
- Farmland tree planting (£6,756 per hectare)
- Retention of winter stubble (£93 per hectare, retained until 15 February 2026)
- Multi-species winter cover crops (retained until 15 February 2026, then destroyed in line with normal husbandry practice)
Capital items to support these actions—including fencing, gate posts, drinkers and pumps—are also available where eligible. The scheme is open to farm businesses with a DAERA Category 1 or 2 Business Identification Number, provided they did not hold a live EFS agreement at the time of application.
From EFS to Farming with Nature: The Transition Gap
The launch of the Farming with Nature Transition Scheme in June 2025 followed a significant gap after the Environmental Farming Scheme closed to new applicants, leaving many farmers without agri-environment support for several years. Conservation groups have warned that this interruption caused an 80% drop-off in farmer uptake of nature-friendly farming schemes, with some farmers reporting they felt left “in limbo land” awaiting clarity on future support.
The current transition scheme is funded through DAERA capital funds rather than the ring-fenced £329.4 million annual agriculture budget, though there are indications that future phases may draw from the main farm support pot. This has raised concerns among farming unions about whether funding for nature-friendly practices might ultimately reduce basic farm support payments.
Looking ahead, DAERA plans to expand the Farming with Nature Package with additional phases in 2026, including Landscape Projects that will support groups of farmers to deliver coordinated environmental improvements at scale. The scheme operates alongside the new Farm Sustainability Payment, which launched on 1 January 2026 and now includes wider land eligibility rules covering rush, scrub and bracken due to their biodiversity and carbon storage benefits.
Unanswered Questions
While the claim window opening marks progress in the Sustainable Agriculture Programme, several questions remain about the long-term viability and design of Northern Ireland’s agri-environment support:
- How will DAERA ensure that the 2026 expansion of the Farming with Nature Package avoids the administrative delays and funding gaps that have characterised the transition from the EFS?
- With the Farm Sustainability Payment now requiring participation in soil health and genetics programmes as conditionalities, will the Farming with Nature Transition Scheme remain voluntary, or will environmental actions become mandatory for full payment?
- Given that the scheme is currently funded through capital budgets rather than the ring-fenced agricultural budget, what guarantees can be provided that future nature-friendly farming payments will not reduce basic farm support?
- How will the department verify that newly eligible habitats claimed under the 2026 Farm Sustainability Payment rules—such as rushes and scrub—are actually maintained for biodiversity benefit rather than simply claimed for payment?
- Will the proposed Farming with Nature Landscape Projects, intended for group applications, be ready to launch in 2026 as planned, or will farmers face further delays in accessing landscape-scale support?
What to Watch For
Farmers who have not yet received confirmation that their 2025 application was approved should contact DAERA immediately at [email protected] or telephone 0300 200 7848. Those using agents or nominated persons should contact them now to ensure claims are submitted before the 31 March deadline.
The success of this first claim round will likely influence the design of the 2026 scheme expansion. With the department currently consulting on a draft Nature Recovery Strategy until 18 March 2026, the coming months will prove critical in determining whether Northern Ireland can meet its target of managing 30% of land for nature by 2030 while maintaining a viable agricultural sector.