The chair of the NI Agricultural Producers’ Association (NIAPA), James Lowe has said his members want DAERA to retain the 3ha minimum claim size currently applying to the basic payment scheme (BPS).

From 2025, DAERA plans to increase this minimum claim to 5ha, potentially excluding around 1,400 small farm businesses.

“We are disappointed Minister Muir has dug in on that one,” Lowe told the Irish Farmers Journal.

He said that in recent meetings with the Minister, NIAPA representatives have made the case for the overall NI farm support budget of around £330m to be inflation linked.

“The cost of living means it is being eaten away every year,” said Lowe.

Outside of that budget he wants to see capital support to help farmers upgrade their yards, pointing out that having improved storage capacity for manures means less risk of run-off and creates more flexibility when it comes to land application.

“A lot of the talk around solutions for Lough Neagh is about investing in waste water infrastructure, but government should not forget farmers,” he said.

Soil scheme

Lowe is also keen to remind farmers in Zone 3 of the soil nutrient health scheme (covering north Tyrone and Derry) not to forget about registration. The closing date is 31 August 2024.