The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has confirmed the new land eligibility rules for the 2026 Farm Sustainability Payment are now in place.

The revised rules have been introduced from January 1, 2026.

According to the department, the measures have been designed "to help farmers play a leading role in supporting nature, tackling climate change and advancing sustainability".

The changes are part of the Sustainable Agriculture Programme’s commitment to a greener, more resilient agri-food sector, DAERA added.

DAERA

Under the new rules, all agricultural land is eligible for the payment, except for hard features, such as buildings, yards and laneways.

The department said that rush, scrub, bracken and some other soft vegetative features are now eligible "due to their environmental benefits including mitigating climate change, soil and water quality issues and helping biodiversity".

Land eligible for Farm Sustainability Payment are land parcels currently mapped in DAERA’s Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) which are at least 0.1ha in size and have a DAERA-recognised boundary.

The department clarified that eligible land includes:

Soft features (rush, scrub, bracken, blanket bog, lowland raised bog, etc);
Discrete areas of woodland that are less than 5ha;
Areas with up to and including 70% stones, scree, rock or scattered rock;
Woodland that is or has been part of a forestry or agri-environment scheme administered by the department on or after January 1, 2009.

The land uses and features that are deemed not eligible include:

Hard features;
Discrete areas of woodland 5ha or more;
Part of a woodland parcel that is less than 5ha and is contained in a woodland block;
State-owned woodland or woodland on state-owned land;
Land within the curtilage of an airstrip or airport;
Land used for solar panels;
Public gardens and parks.

Farmers are being encouraged to visit the DAERA website for complete details on the new land eligibility rules.

"Understanding these new land eligibility rules will help farmers claim Farm Sustainability Payment Scheme confidently and contribute to a more sustainable future for farming," a department spokesperson said.

Payments

Farm businesses are reminded that they must be actively farming and undertaking agricultural activity to be eligible to apply for the Farm Sustainability Payment Scheme.

They must also have management control of the land used to activate entitlements.

The department noted that where a business submits a claim for 5ha or more it must carry out agricultural activity on at least 3ha of land used to activate entitlements.

However, where a claim of less than 5ha is submitted, the business must carry out agricultural activity on at least 2ha of land used to activate entitlements.

DAERA added that it has "worked extensively with stakeholders", through the Agricultural Policy Stakeholder Group, in the design of the programme.