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ESA&CMS 1998-2006

By the end of the last Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2000 – 2006, there were over 13,000 Agri-environment participants covering just over 448,000ha, which represents over 40 percent of eligible farmland.
schemes graph
The following two Agri-environment Schemes were available:
  • Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme
  • Countryside Management Scheme

Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) Scheme

This was the first Agri-environment scheme in N Ireland – launched back in 1988. ESAs cover 20 percent of the agricultural land area in N Ireland.
ESAs image
ESAs in Northern Ireland

Countryside Management Scheme (CMS)

This Scheme was introduced in 2000 and was targeted at those landowners outside the ESAs.
Existing participants in both of these Schemes can apply for NICMS.
More information on these schemes, including scheme booklets, management plans and monitoring reports, can be found under Agri-environment publications