EFS Agreements

<p style='margin-top:0cm; background:white;'><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>The Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) is a voluntary
agri-environment scheme that supports farmers and land managers to carry out
environmentally beneficial farming practices on agricultural land.</span></p>

<p style='margin-top:0cm; background:white; margin-bottom:1.5rem; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; text-align:start; text-decoration-style:initial; text-decoration-color:initial; word-spacing:0px;'><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>The aims of
the scheme are to:</span></p>

<ul>
 <li><span style='font-family:inherit;'>restore,
     preserve and enhance biodiversity;</span></li>
 <li><span style='font-family:inherit;'>improve
     water management and water quality;</span></li>
 <li><span style='font-family:inherit;'>reduce
     soil erosion and improve soil management;</span></li>
 <li><span style='font-family:inherit;'>foster
     carbon conservation and sequestration in agriculture; and</span></li>
 <li><span style='font-family:inherit;'>reduce
     greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from agriculture.</span></li>
</ul>

<p style='margin-top:0cm; background:white; margin-bottom:1.5rem; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; text-align:start; text-decoration-style:initial; text-decoration-color:initial; word-spacing:0px;'><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>EFS is made
up of three levels - Wider, Higher and Group:</span></p>

<ul>
 <li><span style='font-family:inherit;'>EFS
     Wider level aims to deliver benefits across the countryside outside
     environmentally designated sites.</span></li>
 <li><span style='font-family:inherit;'>EFS
     Higher level provides site specific plans for strategically important
     designated sites and for priority habitats and species.</span></li>
 <li><span style='font-family:inherit;'>EFS
     Group level provides support for co-operative work in specific areas for
     farmers in EFS Wider or Higher.</span></li>
</ul>

<p style='margin-top:0cm; background:white; margin-bottom:1.5rem; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; text-align:start; text-decoration-style:initial; text-decoration-color:initial; word-spacing:0px;'><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>This service shows
an up-to-date </span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:black;'>point</span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'> </span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:black;'>for each </span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>of the EFS </span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:black;'>options and
non-productive investments (NPIs) in the </span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>Higher and Wider levels.</span></p>

<p style='margin-top:0cm; background:white; margin-bottom:1.5rem; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; text-align:start; text-decoration-style:initial; text-decoration-color:initial; word-spacing:0px;'><span style='font-family:inherit; color:black;'>Agreement points</span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>
are derived from DAERA’s EFS </span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:black;'>Database and show the centroid of the
agreement field in which the option is located. The points do not show the
exact location of the option and, if there are several options in the field,
the points may overlap. </span></p>

<p style='margin-top:0cm; background:white;'><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>This information is extracted from the current accepted
agreements updated on a nightly basis.  Note that there are a small number
of EFS areas that are not included in this dataset as their options are not map
based (they only have the Irish Moiled cattle option).</span></p>

<p style='margin-top:0cm; background:white;'><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>An accompanying EFS </span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:black;'>Scheme</span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'> data layer shows </span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:black;'>polygons</span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'> of EFS </span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:black;'>Higher and Wider levels</span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>.</span></p>

<p style='margin-top:0cm; background:white; margin-bottom:1.5rem; font-variant-ligatures:normal; font-variant-caps:normal; text-align:start; text-decoration-style:initial; text-decoration-color:initial; word-spacing:0px;'></p><p style='margin-top:0cm; background:white;'><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>A full list of EFS options and NPIs can be found in the </span><span style='color:black;'><a href='https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/daera/19.20.220%20Guide%20to%20the%20Environmental%20Farming%20Scheme%20Doc%205.pdf' rel='nofollow ugc'><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#0079C1; text-decoration:none;'>Guide to EFS </span></a></span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>on the DAERA </span><span style='color:black;'><a href='https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/topics/rural-development/environmental-farming-scheme-efs' rel='nofollow ugc'><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#0079C1; text-decoration:none;'>agri-environment </span></a></span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>webpage.</span></p>

Tags: agri-environment, efs, environmental-farming-scheme
Organization: Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs