Debate contribution: Sustainable Agriculture Programme: Small Farms
Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on .
- MLA
- Mr Andrew Muir
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 20 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Sustainable Agriculture Programme: Small Farms
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5798622
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Thank you, Sian. The Farming with Nature package is one of the most ambitious agri-environment programmes ever delivered by the Department. I have committed more than £96 million to the package over the next five years, with further investment proposed. This year alone, there were 1,705 applications to the Farming with Nature transition scheme, with a total value of £12·4 million. The scale of ambition is remarkable: the applications that have been received this year include commitments to establish more than 535 kilometres of new hedgerows, plant 70 hectares of farmland trees and establish 210 kilometres of riparian buffer strips. Those measures will create vital habitats. Farmers have also committed to planting more than 1,000 hectares of herbal leys and over 5,300 hectares of arable environmental actions. The Farming with Nature Higher scheme, which opened in 2026, provides targeted support for farm businesses that manage designated sites and priority habitats. I was also pleased to launch the Farming with Nature Landscape Projects scheme, which was recently backed with £12 million over five years. I am immensely proud of the progress that has been made. Through the Farming with Nature project and packages, we are investing in a more resilient agriculture sector, a richer natural environment and a stronger future for rural communities in Northern Ireland. I am committed to making that investment, not just in the earmarked fund but beyond it. The members of the AERA Committee are aware of the investments that we are making in the agriculture sector.
250 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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