Over 45,000ha added to 2026 farm maps

The 2026 single application process is now open, with new farm maps also now available to view online.

On enquiry the department has confirmed that the total maximum eligible area (MEA) on these maps has increased by 4.55% when compared to 2025, primarily due to new land eligibility rules which came into force at the start of the year.

Under those new rules, the likes of scrub, rush and heather is now considered eligible land, although hard features such as buildings and yards are still excluded.

With approximately 1m hectares of eligible farmland in 2025, the extra 4.55% equates to over 45,000ha or just over 110,000 acres of additional eligible land on maps.

In lowland areas, some farms may see little to no change in their MEA, although in other parts of NI, the extra area might attract farmers into the market for entitlements.

While demand is likely to be strong, that market should be reasonably well supplied, given that over around 1,900 farm businesses could potentially have to sell their entitlements this spring as they have not met requirements around farming activity in 2020 and/or 2021.

However, the entitlement trading service won’t open until later this month, with DAERA yet to confirm the actual unit value of entitlements for the Farm Sustainability Scheme in 2026. It is expected that entitlement values will be similar to 2025.