Countryside Services Limited (CSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), has been awarded two contracts by DAERA, worth a combined total estimated at £3.5m.

Both contracts were tendered by the department last October and awarded against various criteria, including experience in delivering programmes and price.

The first contract, worth £500,000 excluding VAT, is for the three-year period from 5 January 2026 to 4 January 2029, with the possibility to extend for a further two years. It relates to face-to-face training for groups of farmers who are unable to access or use online training provided by CAFRE.

ADVERTISEMENT

CSL is required to administer the events, hire appropriate venues and deliver the training sessions. The learning materials for each training course are provided by CAFRE.

The courses to be delivered relate to the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme, the new Bovine Genetics Project led by Sustainable Ruminant Genetics Ltd and carbon footprinting – the current DAERA plan is that farmers will have to sign up to all three projects and complete associated training to receive future direct payments.

Themed groups

The second contract is valued at £3m excluding VAT and is for the facilitation of new CAFRE-themed groups.

It also runs for the three-year period to 4 January 2029, with the possibility of a two-year extension.

These themed groups sit alongside new CAFRE adviser-led business sustainability groups (BSGs) which opened to applications in 2025. In total, just under 1,500 farmers are in BSGs across various sectors, with members receiving £445 per year to support the collection of data and £786 for hosting a meeting.

The themed groups are more focused on particular topics. There is no payment for membership, but there is £786 for hosting a meeting. A suckler-cow-fertility-themed group programme was opened to applications last June and a number of suckler groups are now up and running. Participants cannot be a member of a beef BSG.

Earlier this year, CAFRE also sought applications from farmers interested in taking part in a themed group focused on beef finishing. Other themed groups are expected to open.

Each themed group will last for 18 to 24 months, with three to six meetings per group per year.

Recruitment

To deliver the new contracts, CSL has been on a recruitment drive over the last few weeks.

That includes for a scheme coordinator to assist in the delivery of themed groups, with a reserve list compiled.

That particular scheme coordinator role closes to applications on 10 April 2026.