Grant or payment · Northern Ireland
Young Farmers' Payment (existing claimants only)
Annual top-up to the Farm Sustainability Payment for young farmers who set up as head of holding. Closed to new applicants.
- From
- DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)
- How much
- Rate per hectare not published; top-up limited to 90 ha and scaled back if needed to fit the regional ceiling.
- Who can apply
- Only those accepted up to 2025 (the final year for new applications), for up to five years, while they keep meeting the rules and claim FSP.
What you’ll need
- Accepted YFP application from 2025 or earlier
- FSP claim with entitlements activated
How to apply
- No new applications: 2025 was the final year
- Existing claimants keep claiming FSP on the Single Application each year
- Future support for young farmers is to be considered within Farming for the Generations
Amount unclear: neither the scheme page nor the 2026 FSP guide states the per-hectare rate.
Similar schemes
- Farming with Nature Higher Scheme 2027 OpenDAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) · Closes 30 October 2026Interim invite-only scheme to keep favourable management of high-value farmland in designated sites and priority habitats between agri-environment schemes.
- Suckler Cow Scheme OpenDAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) · Closes 31 March 2027Payment for suckler calvings that meet targets for age at first calving and calving interval. Part of the Beef Sustainability Package.
- Beef Carbon Reduction (BCR) Scheme Open all yearDAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)Annual payment for clean beef cattle, born and bred in Northern Ireland and registered on NIFAIS, slaughtered at or below a falling maximum age. Part of the Beef Sustainability Package.
- CAFRE Themed Groups (B.E.E.F. finishing and suckler cow fertility) Open all yearCAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise), part of DAERAShort-term CAFRE groups with mentoring, peer learning and KPIs, linked to the Beef Carbon Reduction and Suckler Cow schemes.
- Farm Sustainability Payment (FSP) 2027 Coming soonDAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) · Closes 15 May 2027The second year of the Farm Sustainability Payment, claimed on the 2027 Single Application.
- Farming with Nature Landscape Projects Scheme Coming soonDAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) · Closes 4 December 2026Funding for groups of farmers and partners to deliver landscape-scale habitat and biodiversity projects that cannot be done on a single farm.
Checked against the official pages on 29 October 2026. Sources: 1, 2. Always read the official page before you apply.