EFS Schemes

<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 view of the EFS 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:#4C4C4C;'>Scheme
polygons are derived from DAERA’s EFS Field Classification layer (FCAT) and
dissolved on the Scheme attribute for land within the Higher or Wider levels.
The FCAT is derived from the DAERA Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS)
each year. Permission was received from the Land and Property Service  Derived
Data Review Group for release of this data set.  </span></p>

<p style='margin-top:0cm; background:white;'><span style='font-family:inherit; color:#4C4C4C;'>An accompanying EFS Agreement data layer shows point of EFS
options in each field. 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; 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