The future of Northern Irish farming will focus on delivering both food and environmental outcomes in a sustainable way, the agriculture minister has confirmed.
In a new policy framework report, Edwin Poots said farmers were 'up for the challenge' to produce using environmentally-friendly farming practices.
However, he said CAP payments had been of 'vital importance' in sustaining the industry in Northern Ireland.
While this support must continue following Brexit, he said the industry had the opportunity to better target that support to meet local priorities.
"The aim is to ensure that Northern Ireland takes full advantage of the opportunity to develop a sustainable agricultural industry," Mr Poots said in the report.
"This will be underpinned by a set of bespoke measures that will ensure the delivery of productive, profitable, environmentally sustainable, resilient and supply chain focused outcomes tailored for NI."
The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) said the publication of the report was a step in the right direction for Northern Ireland's farming industry.
“At the very least, we need to maintain the existing level of support for investment in farming," UFU president Victor Chestnutt said.
"This is crucial to provide a sufficient delivery implementation transition giving individual farm businesses the necessary time to adapt to a new overarching domestic policy for agriculture.
"Farmers also need flexibility to be granted by government to give them the best chance to adapt a common policy framework to the different regional needs of farming across NI."
A public consultation on policy proposals will commence in autumn 2021.
