Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail any steps he is taking to help support rewilding.
Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs: Protecting and restoring our natural environment is one of my key priorities and the Sustainable Agriculture Programme (SAP) is incentivising enabling actions to support the scaling up of nature friendly farming, delivering environmental public goods including improvements in water quality, alongside sustainable food production.
Examples of the schemes within SAP that will provide such support include: the Farming with Nature Package, the Farm Sustainability Payment Scheme, Farming for Sustainability – Knowledge Transfer, the Sustainable Farming Investment Scheme, and the Protein Crop Scheme.
The first phase of the Farming with Nature Package, the Farming with Nature Transition Scheme, launched in June 2025 aims to increase the extent of habitats on agricultural land by creating new habitats, protecting watercourses, providing green infrastructure for nature corridors and increasing carbon sequestration.
Five environmental actions were offered: planting new hedgerows, creating riparian buffer strips, farmland tree planting, retention of winter stubble and establishing multi-species winter cover crop. Supporting items available included protective fencing, gates and drinking water troughs. Plans are in place to extend the list of actions available in 2026.
Other elements of the Farming with Nature Package, focusing on support for Designated Areas, Priority Habitats and Landscape Projects to deliver positive environmental outcomes are currently being progressed.
ENDS
Your MLA 