Suckler scheme under threat if numbers rise

In the event that a new suckler cow scheme leads to a significant rise in the number of beef cows in Northern Ireland, DAERA will take “swift action” to either pause or stop the scheme, the department has confirmed.

Outlining the details at Greenmount on Tuesday, CAFRE advisers said that Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has asked for an initial review of the scheme after six months and a full review within two years.

“Close monitoring will be undertaken for unintended consequences, particularly in relation to any significant increase in overall suckler cow numbers,” said Rachel Megarrell from CAFRE.

In the first year of the new scheme, which is due to begin from 1 April 2025, farmers will be paid £100 for each calving event where a beef heifer calves at under 34 months or a mature suckler has a calving interval of a maximum of 415 days.

When compared to what was originally planned, the final version of the new scheme is relatively straightforward, with no quotas at farm level and no retention periods.

It is also understood that the department does not intend undertaking any farm inspections and will instead, rely on calving data recorded on NIFAIS.

As a result, there is currently nothing to stop any farmer getting into sucklers and availing of payments.

Limit

However, there is a quantitative limit of 222,000 calving events per year, which is the average number of calvings in NI between 2020 and 2022.

If this limit is breached, the number of eligible calving events on each farm will be scaled back.

At present, that scenario looks unlikely, with suckler numbers down over 8% since 2022 and just over 200,000 beef calves born to suckler dams in 2024.

Dams and calves must be beef bred, while there is some allowance for animals that abort a calf or have a dead calf around calving – in effect, a cow can have a maximum of two dead calves in their lifetime.

While there is a maximum CI target for mature sucklers of 415 days, dropping to 405, 395 and 385 days over the following three years, there is also a minimum CI of 270 days.

For first-calved heifers, the maximum age at first calving drops from 34 months, to 32, 30 and 29 months over the same time period, while there is a minimum calving age of 21 months. The first year of the scheme runs from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, with eligible farmers receiving their first payment around mid-2026. Farmers have to opt in, with a process due to open online from 1 April 2025.

The scheme also requires legislation to be made at Stormont and is to be considered by MLAs in early March.

£786 to host new farm group meetings

New farmer groups will be rolled out by CAFRE this spring to replace the previous Business Development Group (BDG) format that operated across NI since 2016.

At the Sustainable Agriculture Programme event at Greenmount on Tuesday, Kathryn George from CAFRE outlined plans for new business sustainability groups (BSGs) as well as new themed groups which will focus on specific issues.

The BSGs are targeted at larger and developing farm businesses, with farmers within a particular enterprise brought together to share performance information.

The groups will be supported by a CAFRE adviser, with meetings taking place on farm. The aim is to have a minimum of five meetings per year, with the programme to last at least four years.

Meeting hosts will receive a payment of £786, while there is also £445 available for group members.

To receive payment, members must attend at least three meetings per year and will be expected to complete financial benchmarking.

An application process for the new sustainability groups will be open during March and April 2025, with the first meetings due to begin in late spring or early summer, said George.

She also confirmed that if the programme is over-subscribed, selection criteria will be applied, which will prioritise farm size (labour units), age (under 40) and gender (female farmers). Applicants must be over 18.

Themed

The plans for new themed groups are not as far advanced, however, these groups will be shorter in duration (up to two years) and will focus on priority topics identified by DAERA, such as water quality or suckler cow fertility.

Participating farmers will not have to complete financial benchmarking, but will be asked to provide farm data relevant to the theme of the group.

There will be no payment for attending events, however, anyone hosting a farm meeting will receive the £786 payment.

It is understood that DAERA hopes to have 1,800 farmers in BSGs and 1,800 in themed groups by year five of the programme.

Five options in FwN pilot

A Farming with Nature (FwN) transition scheme, due to be launched by Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir at the 2025 Balmoral Show, will include five options for participating farmers, confirmed Albert Johnston from CAFRE.

The options include planting new hedgerows, farmland trees and riparian buffer strips (2m or 7m wide) alongside watercourses. There will also be incentives to retain winter stubble and plant multi-species cover crops.

Longer term, DAERA intend taking money out of area based schemes to fund FwN, but for this transition scheme, the finance is coming from within DAERA’s own capital budget, confirmed Johnston.

Most changes coming in 2026

A new Farm Sustainability Transition Payment, which is the replacement for the Basic Payment Scheme in 2025, comes with similar eligibility requirements, so it will be 2026 when significant changes are made, Albert Johnston from CAFRE told farmers on Tuesday.

By then, the Department plans to fully rollout a Farm Sustainability Payment (FSP), which will come with various conditions, including compliance with new farm standards and participation in the soil nutrient health scheme and a carbon footprint project. It is also possible that farmers will have to complete nutrient management plans and if they have cattle, engage with a new ruminant genetics project.

Around 2,000 landowners who had no livestock or crops in 2020 and 2021 will not be eligible for the FSP.

Rules around land eligibility are also changing in 2026 when all land, except hard features, will be able to be used to claim payments.

In addition, progressive capping of the FSP is to be introduced over a two-year period.

When applied, it would mean that the maximum FSP in 2026 is £153,000, dropping to £116,000 in 2027.