Commodity watch by assistant policy manager Aileen Lawson
CAFRE is providing free, face-to-face soil nutrient health scheme training sessions for farmers who have received their soil analysis results. The training, which is also available allows local farmers to enhance their knowledge around nutrient management and potentially make efficiency improvements and savings on farm. Participation in the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme and completing this training will be a condition of the new Farm Sustainability Payment going forward therefore farmers should sign up online or register to attend in person as soon as possible.
Sessions are being held in the following locations:
- Tuesday 12 November: Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, 12.30pm registration, course 1pm-5pm
- Wednesday 20 November: Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen, 10am registration, course 10.30am-4pm
- Wednesday 27 November: Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Bellaghy, 5.30pm registration, course 6pm-10pm
- Thursday 5 December: Craigavon Civic and Conference Centre, 5.30pm registration, course 6pm-10pm
- Wednesday 11 December: The Saint Patrick Centre, Downpatrick, 10am registration, course 10.30pm-4pm
- Monday 16 December: Burnavon Arts Centre, Cookstown, 10am registration, course 10.30pm-4pm
Further sessions will be rolled out in 2025. Due to the checks required to link the person attending the training with the farm business which will be claiming support payments in the future and to validate they are who they are it is critical everyone pre-registers for the training in advance and brings along photo ID, without this farmers will be turned away and will have to book onto another event. Farmers can book their place at the above events at https://www.cafre.ac.uk/business-support/agriculture/environment/soil-nutrient-health-scheme/ or call Countryside Services Ltd on 02887789770.
CAFRE Soil Nutrient Health Scheme training is available also online to all farm businesses, simply log on to: www.cafre.ac.uk/snhs-training. The online training can be accessed in a farmer’s own time and does not all have to be completed in one session offering a convenient alternative to attending in person. For help accessing the online training, contact your local DAERA Direct office on 0300 200 7840.
