The fourth tranche of the Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS), which is due to open next year, will be the final application window for joining the scheme, a spokesperson for DAERA has confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal.

Before that, a third tranche of EFS wider-level will open for applications next month and it follows the third tranche of EFS higher-level, which closed for applications in May 2019.

EFS higher-level is predominantly for land in environmentally designated areas, whereas EFS wider-level is for agri-environment measures on all types of farmland.

“EFS tranche four is the last tranche we have planned under the current Rural Development Programme,” a DAERA spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Only around 300 of the 932 applications to the third tranche of EFS higher-level received letters of offer. At the time, DAERA maintained that this was to achieve an “orderly uptake” of scheme agreements.

However, the high rejection rate was criticised by the Ulster Farmer’s Union and led to calls for DAERA to allow all eligible applicants in the fourth tranche next year into the scheme.

“While it is not possible to predict how many applications will be received for the fourth tranche, DAERA aims to maximise the environmental benefits of the scheme by issuing letters of offer to as many eligible applicants as possible. In the event of oversubscription, applications will be prioritised based on environmental benefit,” the department spokesperson said.

The forecast total cost of agreements in the first two tranches of EFS stands at just over £42m, which is less than 40% of the projected scheme budget of £112m.

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