Groups or organisations interested in taking part in new Farming with Nature Landscape Projects (FwNLP) can submit online applications from Monday 9 November, with the scheme open until 5pm on Friday 4 December.
The application must be made by a single legal entity, with a lead applicant responsible for ensuring the project is managed in line with the terms and conditions set out by DAERA.
The aim of the scheme is to bring together groups of farmers who will work together under the guidance of a project coordinator, to improve biodiversity and habitats in their area.
Each of these areas should be “broadly connected” and cover at least 500ha, or 250ha if projects include designated sites. The area of land should be spread over a minimum of five separate holdings.
Funding is available for 10 successful projects, each with 50 participating farmers, over a 5-year period covering both development and delivery phases.
There are three main areas of expenditure, with £4m to cover administration, assessments and training within each project, while up to £5m has been proposed in grant funding to help create, restore and manage habitats and improve biodiversity on participating farms.
Annual payments of £1,000 per farmer will be made to those attending training and other events as part of the scheme, with an additional £500 for those who participate in monitoring of actions during a delivery phase. This delivery phase is expected to last for at least 3 to 4 years.
Applications will be assessed by a DAERA panel and scored against various criteria including how well it will deliver environmental objectives and also value for money.
Where more than 10 meet a minimum standard, the top 10 highest scoring will be offered a place on the scheme. There will also be a reserve list created.
