Payment rates for measures delivered under the second tranche of the wider level Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) are the same as the first tranche.

The second tranche opens for online applications for five weeks from Monday 20 August.

Financial incentive

Last year, 1,187 farm businesses signed up to wider-level agreements in the first tranche, but some have been critical about the level of financial incentive in the scheme.

On enquiry, a DAERA spokesperson confirmed that payment rates will be unchanged for the upcoming tranche.

The most popular measures in the first tranche were under watercourse stabilisation and creation of riparian buffers. Watercourse stabilisation allows £6.00/m for constructing a single stockproof fence along sheughs and rivers.

Under riparian buffers, various payment rates are available for planted and ungrazed buffer zones that are 2m or 10m wide along waterways.

Watercourse stabilisation and riparian buffer measures also include additional optional capital works for installing new drinkers. Within this, the option of laying water trough piping at £7.77/m was seen by many farmers as the most lucrative measure in EFS wider level.

Planting new hedgerows with double fencing also had significant uptake in tranche one with the measure allowing £15.83/m.

All fencing work under EFS must use posts and strainers that have a 15-year manufacturer’s guarantee.

Open to all

EFS wider level is open to all types of farmland in NI, although successful applicants in the first tranche of the scheme cannot apply for more measures in the second tranche.

Eligible applicants can choose up to four out of 20 EFS wider level options.

“Only choose the options and amount that you can carry out, remembering that most options must be completed by 1 June 2019,” DAERA advice reads.

Agreements over a five-year period must have a minimum value of £2,500. The upper limit for agreements is £12,500 for farms up to 25ha in size. After this, it rises by £26.67/ha to a maximum agreement value of £20,000.

Information on all options, as well as the optional capital works, is available on the DAERA website.

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