There will be a transition period from the current Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) to a new set of farm support schemes in Northern Ireland, a senior DAERA official has said.

“We need to set out the direction very clearly to enable farmers to plan their own businesses and to understand the direction of support going forward to give time to adjust,” Norman Fulton said.

In a briefing with MLAs at Stormont, Fulton reiterated comments made earlier in the week by DAERA Minister Edwin Poots that an area-based payment will be retained in future agriculture policy as a resilience payment.

“We see a continued role for an area-based resilience payment to provide a safety net, but one that does not blunt the incentive to become more productive and to deliver better environmental outcomes,” Fulton said.

Suckler payment

Coupled payments for suckler cows and breeding ewes, as well as payments for additional environmental measures, were also mentioned during the briefing.

Although minor changes to the current BPS are being rolled out next year, it is likely to be at least 2023 before any significant changes to the current system of farm support is seen in Northern Ireland.

Read more in next week’s Northern Ireland edition of the Irish Farmers Journal and online.