Northern Ireland's Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, has announced the start of 'year 1' payments under the Farming with Nature Transition (FwNT) Scheme.

Farm businesses in Northern Ireland who qualify under the scheme have started to receive payments for work completed by the end of March 2026.

A total of 489 participants will receive funding through the scheme, with total of £2.7 million being issued today (Tuesday, June 23).

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said the scheme aims to support biodiversity on farms by funding a range of environmental actions.

According to DAERA, in the first year, the scheme supported farmers to enhance biodiversity, protect watercourses and increase carbon storage by planting over 134km of hedgerows and 28ac of trees, creating more than 35km of riparian buffers, establishing 670ha of multi-species winter cover crop and retaining just over 836ha of winter stubble across farmland.

Year 2 of the Farming with Nature Transition Scheme will open from June 30 to July 31, 2026, building on year 1 with enhanced flexibility, greater choice, and new actions shaped by stakeholder feedback, DAERA said.

Further details are set to be announced in due course.

The department said that it continues to develop further strands of the 'Farming with Nature Package' for 2026 and 2027 in "close and constructive engagement" with agricultural, environmental and wider rural sector stakeholders.

Commenting on the payment run, Minister Muir said: "I am delighted to see the first payments to farm businesses under the Sustainable Agricultural Programme's Farming with Nature package.

"The Farming with Nature scheme is critical to help arrest and reverse the declines in farmland nature, whilst delivering a range of important environmental public goods such as improvement in water quality and carbon sequestration, alongside food production," Minister Muir added.

He said: "The success of the Farming with Nature Transition Scheme in its first year is just the beginning. As the scheme opens for Year 2, I look forward to seeing it continue to grow in both participation and the range of farmland options offered in order to maximise the positive environmental impact."