Application window for EFS Higher opens

EFS Higher Level provides payments to help bring the most important sites under favourable management, including land with environmental designations, such as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI), and other areas of priority habitat.

To check if land is eligible, applicants should log on to the DAERA Online Services, under the Environmental Farming Scheme application, and view which fields are categorised as either Higher or Wider Level.

Only those businesses with eligible ‘Higher’ fields will be able to submit an EFS Higher application.

Farmers that currently hold an active Tranche 2 Higher Agreement which will end on 31 December 2023 are also eligible to reapply to Tranche 7.

If you wish to continue to claim for EFS Higher payments after that date, you must re-apply to the Scheme.

Applications for tranche 7 EFS Higher must be submitted online before midnight on Friday 19 May 2023.

If the number of applications exceeds the available resource, applications will be ranked and those providing the highest environmental benefit will be selected to proceed.

Comprehensive information on all the EFS options and the application process is available online through the EFS section of the DAERA website at https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/environmental-farming-scheme-efs-higher-level For further information or advice Tel. 0300 200 7848 or email [email protected]