DAERA begins issuing of EFS agreements

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has started to issue Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) agreements for schemes commencing in 2019.

More than 1,400 EFS Wider and 170 EFS Higher agreements have been issued so far into the DAERA online services portal.

The remainder of the agreements will be issued over the next few weeks so it’s important to keep checking on the DAERA online services portal. Farm businesses will be notified of the availability of their agreement by letter.

It is vital that you read your EFS agreement information and accompanying information carefully to understand what you are committing to do. The accompanying information includes the relevant EFS Information Sheets for Options and capital items, the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme and, for EFS Higher only, the associated site-specific Remedial Management Plant (ssRMP).

After reading the relevant information, you must either accept or decline your offer of an agreement by the date indicated in the letter.

Accepting or declining your Scheme agreement must be done online either through your personal Government Gateway account or through your authorised agent.

Assistance can be provided by making an appointment at your local DAERA Direct office.

If you do not accept your EFS agreement by the date given in the letter, it may be cancelled.

If you have any questions about your EFS Higher agreement you should contact your planner in the first instance.

For queries telephone 0300 200 7842 or email: [email protected].