Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan has today (Thursday, October 24) opened the 2025 Farm Plan Scheme for applications.
The scheme, which is overseen by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), supports farmers and non-farmer landowners to conserve and restore nature on their land based on bespoke advice, and pays them for the results they deliver.
This year marks a new approach within the scheme, where applicants can apply for either the traditional approach (typically 5-year on-going management plans) or one-off “Actions for Nature”.
These actions could include nature pond creation, access management, fencing, encouraging saving of seeds for grasslands and woodlands addressing alien invasive species and grants towards conservation management tools.
Farmers who are interested in joining the scheme are being invited to submit an application by Thursday December 5, 2024.
Farm Plan Scheme
Since the Farm Plan Scheme began in 2006, over 1,000 plans have been created for farms, covering a variety of nature interests.
The plans have ranged from birds and other species of conservation concern to habitats including eskers, coastal dunes, fens, peatlands and uplands and turloughs.
There are currently 327 farm plans in place across the country.
Minister Noonan said that in the coming tranche, it is anticipated that approximately 200 additional plans will be designed.
He said that the Farm Plan Scheme is hugely impactful “both for nature and for the people doing the work to conserve it”.
“The Farm Plan Scheme is a vital tool in the management of some of Ireland’s most important areas for nature and an valuable means of addressing the challenges facing biodiversity in Ireland, in partnership with the custodians of land.
“I invite more people to get involved and I look forward to seeing new plans bearing fruit for nature over the coming years,” he added.
Applications
Applications for 2025 must be made using the NPWS Farm Plan Scheme application form, available on the NPWS website.
This scheme call is split into two themes: general and actions for nature. The NPWS said that applicants should select the one which one is most relevant.
The NPWS added that the applicant does not need to be a farmer, farmers or land managers who wish to manage land for nature should consider applying.
Priority will be offered to lands in designated sites, namely Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs), or where it can be confirmed habitats or species of conservation concern exist.
The NPWS noted that it cannot facilitate or progress plans which would lead to a risk of double-funding, with participants in other agri-environmental schemes, such as the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
As the budget is limited, the NPWS said that it will select plans where the need for conservation action is the greatest.