Northern Ireland’s pilot Protein Crop Scheme will be extended to the end of 2027.

The announcement was made today (September 22) by Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs Andrew Muir.

Since the introduction of the pilot scheme in 2021, the area of protein crops grown increased to 802ha in 2024, decreasing to 422ha in 2026.

The main protein crops grown over this period are spring field beans, followed by spring peas.

A project is currently underway to assess the environmental and economic benefits of growing protein crops for farmers, as well as Northern Ireland as a whole.

This project is due to conclude in May 2027.

Minister Muir said: “The extended pilot scheme will therefore now run to the end of the 2027 scheme year to allow a full assessment of the environmental and sustainability benefits which protein crops can deliver.”

Scheme

Under the scheme, farmers will receive £330/ha in addition to their Basic Payment / Farm Sustainability Payment.

The maximum annual supported area under the scheme is 1,300ha.

The pilot Protein Crop Scheme was introduced in 2021 for an initial period of two years.

When the project launched in 2021, the department said the approach would be reviewed and possibly refined for subsequent years to "maximise the economic and environmental benefits".

Gordon Lyons, the agriculture minister at the time, said: "Those crops will create a domestically produced source of protein for animal feed and provide agronomic benefits within arable rotations."

In 2023, the pilot scheme was extended until the end of 2026.

The eligible protein crops for this scheme are peas, beans and lupins.

In 2020, there were 150ha grown on 32 farms, and in 2025 there were 481ha grown across 96 farms, with spring beans the most popular crop.

Farmers wishing to apply for the Protein Crop Scheme next year should do so via the annual Single Application in 2027.