By Abbas Nazil
Farmers across Northern Ireland say they have been left in uncertainty as they await the full rollout of the new Farming with Nature (FWN) scheme, which is meant to replace the Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS).
While the FWN programme aims to support farmers in protecting biodiversity and restoring habitats, only a limited transitional phase focusing on habitat restoration has begun.
This has left many like Jack Kelly, a farmer in Ballyalton, County Down, unsure of the future.
Kelly has spent years using EFS funding to reintroduce barn owls, one of Northern Ireland’s rarest birds with fewer than 30 breeding pairs remaining.
He installed nesting boxes and maintained rough grass margins to support their food supply.
Despite producing three chicks annually for the past three years, the uncertainty around new payments has left him financially strained.
“We’re a small farm trying to balance productivity and conservation,” Kelly said.
“We’ve just forgone the payment because it’s so beneficial to barn owls.”
Environmentalists say the delay between EFS and FWN is creating problems.
Ulster Wildlife’s Katy Bell warned that without consistent support, farmers willing to help nature might withdraw their efforts.
Similarly, farmer Samantha McCarroll in County Tyrone used EFS funding to restore peatlands but says many farmers now feel “in limbo land” awaiting details of the new scheme.
RSPB NI’s Sean Woods expressed concern that the delay could repeat history, with a drop-off in participation similar to past gaps between schemes.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said the full FWN programme would launch from mid-2026, with payments expected by June 2026.
However, with climate change and economic pressures mounting, many farmers say they cannot afford to wait much longer for clarity.
