Businesses in Northern Ireland have been urged to participate in the new Soil Nutrient Scheme (SNHS) as they would be able to benefit from what it could offer. This comes as Minister for Agriculture, Environmental and Rural Affairs, Edwin Poots announced the launch of the Northern Ireland Soil Nutrient Scheme.
The initiative is expected to be rolled out in zonal phases over a 4-year period, with an investment of £45 million. The SNHS is aimed at improving soil nutrient health and estimating farm carbon stocks across Northern Ireland.
“It is estimated this scheme will represent an investment of up to £45 million over four years towards improved sustainability in our farming sector”, says the Minister.
Farmers in zone 1 will be able to apply online using the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA’s) online services during May 2022. The collection of soil samples for Zone 1 will get underway in November 2022.
The scheme will be delivered by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI). The contracts for the soil collection and analysis work have now been awarded and collection of soil samples from farms will be carried out under the direction of AFBI.
According to Minister Poots, “the data captured from the SNHS will provide farmers with important information on soil nutrient levels for each field on their farm, as well as an estimate of the amount of carbon stored in their soils, hedgerows, and trees.” He claims that equipping farmers with this information will help them more accurately match nutrient applications to crop need, thereby increase efficiency, reducing excess run-off to watercourses and improving their economic and environmental sustainability.