Farmers encouraged to apply to Soil Nutrient Health Scheme as deadline approaches

The deadline for the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme is 31 August which is just days away.

If farmers in this zone do not register before the closing date, they will fall short of the eligibility criteria which must be met to receive future agriculture support payments including the Farm Sustainability Payment, Beef Sustainability Scheme and Farming With Nature Scheme.

These three new payments will be significant income streams for farmers and land managers going forward, replacing the majority of support currently offered by the Basic Payment Scheme and the Environmental Farming Scheme.

Ulster Farmers’ Union deputy president, William Irvine, who lives in Mountnorris, Co. Armagh, and farms within the zone one area, has applied for the scheme.

He commented: “When I first received a letter inviting me to register for the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme, I had no hesitation.

“The wealth of information that is to be gained on soil nutrient levels for each field on our farm, as well as an estimate of the amount of carbon stored in soils, hedgerows, and trees, will be invaluable to us as a farm business and will help to further improve nutrient efficiencies without creating any extra expense.

“Like all Northern Ireland farmers, I too am working to manage the high cost of fertiliser, and soil testing and analysis is more essential than ever to ensure valuable nutrients are targeted where needed to save money and help the environment.”

The scheme, which is being delivered by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), is being rolled out in stages using a zonal approach over the next four years and farmers from other zones will be contacted to apply at a later date.

It will see NI setting a high global standard as the first region to establish an extensive baseline of all farms on soil nutrients, below and above ground carbon stocks, helping to improve water quality and the progression towards climate change targets adopting a science led, evidence-based approach.

“DAERA have informed us that 74 per cent of eligible fields in zone 1 are now signed up to the scheme,” Mr Irvine continued.

“We understand that some farmers may have concerns about the use of this data, however, Minister Poots has given the industry reassurances that the information from this scheme will not be used for regulatory purposes.

“We are also worried that many farmers may not have realised that participation in the scheme is a requirement for receiving future payments from DAERA and they could find themselves at a considerable disadvantage in the future if they fail to act now.

“Therefore, I encourage all farmers in zone one to make it a priority to register for the scheme before the deadline 31 August.

“Training will be given to farmers to help them use the nutrient and carbon data, and in the coming years they will be able to see the positive impact this scheme will have on their farm business and the wider NI industry,” added Mr Irvine.