The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture has assured farmers that everything will be in place for the launch of the Agri-Environment Scheme on Thursday (April 1).

A DEFA spokesman confirmed: ’The application forms will be online from April 1 on a dedicated Agri-Environment Scheme page on our website, or they can request a hard copy to be posted out to them.’

The new scheme replaces the current Agricultural Development Scheme (ADS) and introduces an environmental dimension which supports the island’s climate change goals.

While the ADS payments supported farmers on the basis of acreage, the Agri-Environment scheme will reward them for agricultural and environmental initiatives.

Its implementation was planned to take place over a three-year transition period, following the approval of the scheme by Tynwald in December 2019, but the pandemic has disrupted the planned schedule.

One important element of the scheme that has been hampered by Covid is the appointment of a ’delivery partner’ who will assess what each farmer has done and therefore will require a high level of knowledge in all areas of farming.

Tim Johnston, president of the Manx National Farmers Union said: ’It’s about making sure the results are there, testing them and reporting back to the department so that they’re happy to sanction payments.’

The DEFA spokesman said: ’A significant number of people were interested in providing the scheme who have then had to go through the usual tender process and follow procurement guidelines, and the NFU has been involved in the process.

’Covid has caused some significant delays to this but I can confirm that we are on the point of finalising the appointment of the deliver partner and making an official announcement.’

As some of the environmental initiatives will require a sizeable investment by the farmer, it is also important that they can access the best advice before undertaking them, and this aspect of the new scheme is already in place.

Tim explained: ’The scheme is also about farm advice and consultancy so that farmers have got direct access to consultation to help improve their efficiency as well.’

DEFA and the farming industry have worked together closely to develop the new scheme and ensure that it will support both farm efficiency and environmental good.

Tim said: ’We have engaged with DEFA with our ideas as an industry for an environment-based system and that’s what really evolved so it’s been very much part of a joint working.

’The seeds of it were very much sown by the farming industry’s keenness to bring incentives in on the environment.

’And, to the credit of the minister and the department, it’s also brought £1million of new funding into the industry and funding going into the Meat Plant so it’s been a positive process.’

Next week’s Food and Farming pages will look at the scheme in more detail but elements such as putting in place a manure management plan and a crop nutrient management plan are things that the majority of farmers are doing already which is going to help them access payments as they move to the new scheme.

Tim explained: ’We’ve been receiving a fixed amount per acre payment under the ADS. The plan was that would reduce over three years and it would then be replaced proportionately by access to environmental grants.

’Now because of all the delay they haven’t been able to do that therefore we have continued with the ADS system as it was.

’This means we’re now the first full start year of the new scheme with that three-year transition hit happening in one go.

’By applying for management plans that will help to recoup money for farmers: very few people haven’t done one. And there is the opportunity then through the extra funding to receive a higher payment by doing more environmental work.’

Andy Cooper, secretary of the Manx NFU said: ’The elements in the scheme which are really going to work are the ones which protect the soil health in the island.

’The environmental benefits that come from having healthy soil probably outweigh a lot of the other elements of the scheme.’

And, as the DEFA spokesman pointed out, we already have a good story to tell in the island when it comes to agriculture and the environment: ’I think we’re blessed on the Isle of Man in the fact that the agricultural sector already does an awful lot.

’We actually live already at what 100% or 99% of what "good" looks like and I think we’ve got to give credit to the farming community that they’re already doing it.

’We don’t have intensive agriculture here at all and I think we need to celebrate the agricultural sector. We live in a great island with the Unesco Biosphere and that’s been achieved because the agricultural sector have been doing it for generations.’