West Tyrone Sinn Fein MLA Declan McAleer has introduced a private members’ Bill at Stormont, which, if enacted, would re-introduce Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) payments to farmers in Severely Disadvantaged Areas (SDA) of NI.

The draft legislation would require the department to put in place regulations which ensure payments are “no less generous” than those made under the ANC scheme in 2018.

Back then the regulations allowed the department to make payments of £26.57/ha on the first 200ha of eligible land and £19.93/ha thereafter, with those payment rates halved when compared to the 2017 scheme.

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Warning

With just 13 months left of the current Stormont mandate, it is unclear whether this legislation can make it through. At the start of business on Monday, the Stormont speaker, Edwin Poots warned MLAs not to come forward with a lot of draft legislation at this stage.

“I have repeatedly communicated to members that it will not be possible to progress the majority of members’ Bill proposals put forward in this mandate. There will not be enough time available to conduct proper scrutiny,” said the former Agriculture Minister.

In July 2025, the current Agriculture Minister, Andrew Muir, indicated he had no intention of re-instating ANC payments.