DAERA outlines Farm Sustainability Payment conditionalities

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is advising farmers of the Farm Sustainability Payment conditionalities.

The Farm Sustainability Payment (FSP) is a key part of the Sustainable Agriculture Programme.

Launched on January 1, 2026, it introduced several key changes designed to “help build stronger, more resilient farm businesses, while continuing to protect the environment”, DAERA said.

One of these key changes is the requirement for farm businesses to meet new conditionalities in order to receive their full FSP.

Farm Sustainability Payment

These conditionalities are being introduced gradually to “drive uptake of schemes critical for soil health, genetic improvement and carbon reduction”.

“They are also being included to deliver wider public benefits such as reducing emissions and improving habitats and biodiversity,” DAERA said.

To receive the FSP in 2026, you must:

Be actively farming and carrying out agricultural activity;
Submit an FSP application by May 15, 2026;
Activate at least three payment entitlements on at least three hectares of eligible land.

If you are claiming five hectares or more, you must be undertaking agricultural activity on at least three hectares.

If you are claiming less than five hectares, you must be undertaking agricultural activity on at least two hectares.

You must also have management control of any land you use to activate entitlements.

If your farm business was operating before December 31, 2021, you must also have met the historic years requirements.

Conditionalities

The following will become conditionalities for the FSP in 2026:

Participation in the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme (SNHS);
Participation in the Bovine Genetics Project.

Participation in the Carbon Footprinting Project is also planned to become a conditionality for the FSP, DAERA said.

The timeline for the introduction of this conditionality has still to be agreed.

Soil Nutrient Health Scheme

The SNHS is designed to help farms manage nutrients better and protect water quality for the long-term.

It has been rolled out across Northern Ireland over the last four years and is now closed for new applications.

To meet the SNHS conditionality, farm businesses must have registered for the scheme and completed training offered to them by the closing date of the single application form window of May 15, 2027.

For those farm businesses that are not compliant at this stage a 10% penalty will be applied to their FSP in 2027.

The penalty will be increased to 15% for continued non-compliance in 2028 and will continue to be applied at 15% until the conditionality has been met.

If you did not register for the SNHS by the last registration date of September 8, 2025, DAERA is currently looking at options to provide soil testing for interested non-registered farms.

Bovine Genetics Project

The Bovine Genetics Project will provide farmers with the data and evidence to help them make more informed breeding decisions which in turn will deliver more efficient, healthier and productive animals with lower carbon footprints, DAERA said.

Registration for the Bovine Genetics Project will open in September 2026 through a dedicated user portal, hosted on the Sustainable Ruminant Genetics website and accessible through the normal government gateway process.

Training will be provided by CAFRE through a combination of online and face-to-face delivery, which will also be available from September 2026.

To meet the Bovine Genetics conditionality, farm businesses with bovine animals must have registered for the project and completed training offered to them by the closing of the single application form window of May 15, 2028.

For those farm businesses that are not compliant at this stage a 10% penalty will be applied to their FSP in 2028.

The penalty will be increased to 15% for continued non-compliance in 2029 and will continue to be applied at 15% until the conditionality has been met.

Registration and training for conditionalities must be completed by a named individual registered to the farm business ID.

Penalties will be applied on a scheme-by-scheme basis (concurrent) rather than an overall penalty.

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