Minister announces further extension of the Protein Crop Scheme

The extension was announced by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir MLA.

Since the introduction of the pilot scheme in 2021, the area of protein crops grown increased to 802 ha in 2024, decreasing to 422ha in 2026.

The main protein crops grown over this period is spring field beans followed by spring bean.

A project is currently underway to assess the environmental and economic benefits for farmers, and to Northern Ireland, from growing protein crops. This project is due to conclude in May 2027.

Minister Muir said: “The extended pilot scheme will therefore now run to the end of the 2027 scheme year to allow a full assessment of the environmental and sustainability benefits which protein crops can deliver.”

Under the scheme, farmers will receive £330 per hectare in addition to their Basic Payment/Farm Sustainability Payment. The maximum annual supported area under the scheme is 1,300ha.

Farmers wishing to apply for the Protein Crop Scheme next year should do so via the annual Single Application in 2027.

UFU deputy president, Clement Lynch, said: “The extension of the Protein Crop Scheme is a positive step and one we welcome.

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“Providing farmers with certainty for the 2027 growing season is important, particularly when decisions need to be made well in advance. Growing protein crops such as beans and peas can deliver a range of benefits on farm, including greater crop diversity, improved soil health and an additional break crop within rotations. Increasing our capacity to produce protein locally also has the potential to reduce reliance on imported protein sources for livestock feed and strengthen the resilience of our agricultural industry.

“The continuation of the £330 per hectare payment alongside the Farm Sustainability Payment provides an important incentive for growers and helps recognise the contribution these crops can make to more sustainable farming systems.”

Chair of the Assembly’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, Diana Armstrong MLA, has welcomed the extension of the scheme, while calling for the payment rate to be reviewed and for a permanent scheme to replace what will by then have been a seven-year pilot.

Diana Armstrong said: “I welcome the extension of the Protein Crop Scheme. At a time when so many farm businesses are under pressure, knowing this support will continue gives growers the stability to plan their rotations with confidence.

“Home grown protein makes sense on every level. Northern Ireland remains heavily dependent on imported soya and other proteins for animal feed. Beans, peas and lupins grown here reduce that reliance, fix their own nitrogen and give arable farmers a valuable break crop. That is good for farm incomes, the environment and our food security.

“What concerns me is the direction of travel. The area grown reached 802 hectares in 2024 but has fallen to 422 hectares this year, around a third of the scheme’s capacity.

“Part of the answer may be the payment itself. Farmers received £330 per hectare when the scheme opened in 2021, and they still receive £330 today. Five years of rising costs have steadily eroded the value of that support.

“This scheme began as a two year pilot. By the end of 2027 it will have run for seven. Farmers cannot invest in long-term rotations on the basis of one extension after another. When the Department’s assessment reports next May, I want to see it lead to a permanent scheme, with a payment rate that reflects today’s costs and a design shaped by the farmers who have taken part.”