AQW 41429/22-27
Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim
Tabled Date: 26/02/2026
Answered On Date: 11/03/2026
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail the percentage of farm businesses that are within Areas of Natural Constraint.
Answer:
59.9% of farm businesses are wholly within ANCs based on fields claimed on the Single Application in 2025. 78.3% of farm businesses are partially or wholly within ANCs based on fields claimed on the Single Application in 2025. Severely Disadvantaged Areas and Disadvantaged Areas are considered to be Areas of Natural Constraint. Lowland is outside Areas of Natural Constraint. The table below shows the land types claimed by farm businesses on their 2025 Single Applications. Farm Business Land Types | Total Number of Businesses | Percentage of Businesses | SDA1 only | 6,582 | 27.4 | SDA and DA2 | 3,269 | 13.6 | SDA/LL3 | 465 | 1.9 | SDA, DA and LL | 1,243 | 5.2 | DA only | 4,543 | 18.9 | DA/LL | 2,674 | 11.2 | LL only | 5,206 | 21.7 | TOTAL | 23,982 | 100.0 |
1 Severely Disadvantaged Area, 2 Disadvantaged Area, 3 Lowland
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