The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Minister, Andrew Muir has unveiled the new Farming for Sustainability – Innovation Scheme.
The scheme, which is part of the department’s Sustainable Agriculture Programme, is aimed at helping farmers adopt new technologies and practices to boost productivity, while also improving environmental performance.
It is intended to make innovation more accessible to Northern Ireland farmers across the sector through the scheme’s three strands – innovation visits, farms, and partnerships.
DAERA hopes that these strands will help farmers overcome barriers to adopting new practices and emerging technologies.
Innovation visits
The first Innovation Visit will take place on March 4-5, 2026 and will bring participants to Harper Adams University in Shropshire and Grosvenor Farms in Cheshire.
The visit will focus on “innovations to partition nutrients from cattle slurry, particularly the removal of phosphorus from high-output dairying systems”.
Commenting on the new scheme, Minister Muir said: “The Farming for Sustainability – Innovation Scheme is about equipping and supporting farmers to explore new ideas and innovations that will help them to address the challenges that they face within their businesses.
“Innovation is essential if we are to build a thriving, resilient and environmentally sustainable agriculture sector.
“I would encourage farmers to apply for this Innovation Visit as it is a unique opportunity to learn about forward-thinking research on nutrient management solutions for high output dairy systems and the adoption of these innovations on farm.”
DAERA stated that to be eligible for these visits, applicants need to be aged over 18 years, own or be a member of a farm business, or be an employee that is working more than 16 hours per week.
Farmers interested in taking part can learn more about the visit and make an application through the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise’s (CAFRE) website.
The call for applications for the first Innovation Visit will close on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at 4:00p.m.
