Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has started issuing year 1 payments under the Farming with Nature Transition (FwNT) Scheme. A total of 489 participants will receive 2.7 million pounds for work completed by March 2026. The scheme funds environmental actions like planting over 134 km of hedgerows and 28 acres of trees, creating riparian buffers, and establishing cover crops to increase carbon storage and improve water quality. Year 2 of the scheme opens from June 30 to July 31, 2026, with enhanced flexibility and new actions based on stakeholder feedback. Minister Andrew Muir stated the program is critical for reversing farmland nature declines and delivering public goods like carbon sequestration alongside food production. The payments represent a concrete step in funding agricultural decarbonization and biodiversity in the UK region.
