Northern Ireland farmers will be offered grants of up to £25,000 under a new £40m scheme to boost environmental performance, animal health and efficiency.
Farmers investing in on-farm equipment and technology worth between £3,000 and £62,500 can apply for a grant. Stormont has pledged to cover up to 40% of the cost.
Northern Ireland’s Daera minister Andrew Muir said the scheme would provide practical support for farmers looking to invest in their businesses.
Eligible equipment will include options for the management of fruit, vegetables, crops, grassland and livestock, and slurry management.
This includes precision farming and performance monitoring equipment such as camera-guided weed control, and heat and health detection devices.
The scheme would form part of Daera’s Sustainable Agriculture Programme and would help support a “thriving, resilient and environmentally sustainable farming sector”, Muir said.
The programme is Northern Ireland’s replacement of the EU’s farm subsidies, and aims to encourage farmers to focus on climate action, biodiversity, and soil health.
It has come under criticism such as for the growing number of conditions attached to the scheme. Chair of Stormont’s agriculture committee, Robbie Butler, told Daera officials in May that there was “a growing mood” where farmers want to move away from claiming payments, according to Irish Farmers Journal.
“For the first time ever, I am hearing farmers saying to me that they are less interested in engaging in the Farm Sustainability Payment,” he said.
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