The £37m DAERA-funded Soil Nutrient Health Scheme (SNHS) is the largest baseline soil sampling programme to be undertaken globally to date.

Participation in the SNHS is a condition for the receipt of the new Farm Sustainability and Farming with Nature Payments.

This requires both registering for SNHS and completing the training course. Failure to complete both elements may affect future payments.

Zones 1 to 3 of field soil-sampling is now completed with the majority of farmers in these areas having received their soil analysis results.

The training element provides farmers with the tools to make better informed decisions in relation to nutrient management planning and make more efficient use of the nutrients readily available on farm in the form of slurry, farmyard manure, etc.

Farmers will be able to identify areas on farm needing attention and have a more targeted approach to fertiliser usage.

Soil analysis results are valid for a four-year term.

Access training

There are a number of ways to access the SNHS training element of the programme. Option one is to sign in through a nidirect or the Government Gateway account to access the online training and complete the course materials. For those having difficulty, they can contact their local DAERA Direct Office for assistance.

For those unable to get online, a number of in-person training sessions are still available across NI, with four dates until the end of June 2025 in Portadown, Newry, Limavady and Enniskillen.

Details of booking can be found on the Nutrient Health Scheme section of the CAFRE website (www.cafre.ac.uk).

In-person training is in two stages; part one provides farmers with an understanding of nutrient management through a series of interactive online videos while part two brings farmers through a number of different on farm scenarios to complete a nutrient management plan for their holding.

The soil analysis results cover soil organic matter percentage, calcium, magnesium, pH, phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and sulphur (S) with the latter four presented in a red, amber green system to enable individuals to easily identify key issues on farm.

Understanding nutrients

This first phase of training looks at soil analysis interpretation, achieving the correct soil pH, optimising indexes, and applying fertiliser and manures.

Farmers should target a soil pH of at least 6.0 for mineral soils and pH 5.3 in peaty soils. Correct pH allows nutrients in the soil to become readily available to grass in order to achieve higher yields. In a mineral soil with pH below 5.5, only 77% of the nitrogen and potassium is available, while phosphorus availability drops to 48%.

One key element of the training is viewing the farm LiDAR maps, which allow the identification of high-risk areas for nutrient loss through run-off. This information can be used to establish key times when and where to apply nutrients at certain times of the year.

Nutrient Management Plan

Part two of the SNHS training involves individuals gaining the knowledge to use the CAFRE Crop Nutrient Calculator in order to create a Nutrient Management Plan for each field on their farm. The aim of the process is to ensure that farmers aren’t under or over supplying nutrients.