Northern Ireland’s environment minister has announced the launch date for the new Environmental Farming Scheme, but noted that it won’t be covered by the chancellor’s Brexit funding commitment announced last month.

Environment Minister Michelle McIlveen made the announcement on Wednesday, after a meeting with green groups at Crawfordsburn Country Park.

The new Environmental Farming Scheme is set to open in February 2017.

McIlveen  said, “The multi-million pound Environmental Farming Scheme is an important part of our agricultural agenda and we are working hard to be able to open it for applications in February next year. Whilst funding for the EFS is not covered by the recent statement by Chancellor Philip Hammond, we are very much focused on securing the funding and implementing a well-focused scheme.”

Minister McIlveen said many of the wildlife and environment groups she met with on Wednesday have grave concerns about the impact of Brexit, and many are already in difficult financial situations.

When Chancellor Phillip Hammond announced that the government would preserve funding for farming and research spending up to 2020 in August, ministers from devolved governments warned that significant funding commitments remain unaccounted for. Wales’ First Minister Carwyn Jones said the commitment would only cover around half of the regional funding due to Wales, and Scotland’s finance minister said the government’s spending promise fell millions of pounds short of what Scotland could expect to receive as members of the EU.

On Wednesday, Minister McIlveen added, “The environmental sector, like DAERA, knows that challenging financial times are ahead. We all need to continue to look closely at what we do, and how we do it, to ensure we deliver efficiencies in the way we work, enhance partnership working and seek alternative sources of funding.

“Our environmental sector makes genuine positive differences across Northern Ireland to our rural and urban landscape and communities. They deliver much needed environmental improvements, education and support many of the Executive’s Programme for Government outcomes.”

At the same time as the announcement on the Environmental Farming Scheme, the environment minister unveiled half a million pounds for up to 40 green projects, under the Environmental Fund (EF). The money for these projects was raised through charging for plastic bags in Northern Ireland.