With money being taken off all direct farm payments in NI to fund new beef schemes, it is understandable that those farmers who principally derive their income from other sectors, feel aggrieved.

At this point in time, it is sheep farmers who have been most proactive in making their case (see page 8), although the likes of arable growers could also legitimately stake a claim that they need new schemes tailored to their sector.

Part of the reason this has turned into an issue relates to the way new schemes have been rolled out.

The beef carbon reduction (BCRS) scheme started in January 2024, to be followed by a suckler cow measure from January 2025.

Both have been designed to drive down greenhouse gas emissions from NI beef production – it is something they will have to deliver.

However, it now looks likely it will be 2026 before a new Farming With Nature scheme is up and running.

It is potentially the mechanism by which non-beef farmers recoup some of their lost income, whether it is by tapping into support for sustainable grazing in uplands or for growing cover crops and wild flower strips in arable land.

But by then, farmers will have been hit with a 9% reduction in 2024 and a 17% reduction in 2025, compared to what they received in 2023.

It is also worth pointing out that we know little about what a Farming With Nature scheme will actually support. And ultimately, unless new money is found, it will have to be funded by a further cut to area based payments.

In the meantime, DAERA could dip into the pot set aside for beef and use it to fund a sheep payment.

The problem with this is World Trade Organisation rules limit the amount of expenditure that can go to headage type payments to 17% of the budget.

If the Department utilises some of this 17% (around £50m) to fund sheep, there is a danger we will just end up with three pretty useless schemes.