NI Water launches fully funded farming scheme in Co Armagh

Farmers in Co Armagh are being offered free funding and practical support to help reduce pollution, improve soil retention and protect local drinking water supplies under a new NI Water initiative.

Applications have opened for the Seagahan Farming for Water programme, a fully funded project aimed at helping farmers improve environmental performance while boosting long-term farm sustainability.

The scheme, which launches in July 2026, focuses on the Seagahan catchment near Markethill — an area supplying drinking water to thousands of people as well as supporting important aquatic habitats and wildlife.

NI Water said the programme will provide fully funded on-farm measures with no requirement for match funding or financial contributions from participating farmers.

The initiative forms the second phase of NI Water’s wider Farming for Water programme following earlier catchment work at Clay Lake and Gentle Owens near Keady.

Local farmers attended the official launch event at the end of April, with 23 producers registering interest during the evening.

The project aims to tackle pollutants including soil, nutrients and MCPA — a commonly used grassland herbicide — which can enter rivers and streams from surrounding farmland.

NI Water said these pollutants increase treatment costs at water treatment works while also representing the loss of valuable nutrients and resources from farms.

The programme is also designed to help farmers retain soil and nutrients on their land, improve farm efficiency and strengthen land stewardship.

Participating farms will receive tailored advice, on-farm visits and practical support measures aimed at reducing pollution risks and improving water quality.

Catchment-based approaches are increasingly being used across the UK to improve water quality while supporting more sustainable farming practices.

NI Water catchment officer Peter John Quinn said the project aimed to deliver practical solutions benefiting both farms and the environment.

“The Farming for Water Scheme aims to deliver sustainable, catchment-scale solutions to protect rivers and lakes, which are the main sources of our drinking water,” he said.

For the Seagahan catchment, the focus would be on reducing “MCPA, nutrient and soil runoff from farmland into connected watercourses”.

Mr Quinn described the project as “a win-win for everyone”.

Farmers managing land fully or partly within the Seagahan drinking water catchment area may be eligible to apply.

Priority will be given to farms closest to watercourses where environmental improvements are expected to deliver the greatest water quality benefits.

NI Water said early applications are encouraged ahead of the scheme’s launch later this summer.