Countryside Stewardship: Mid-tier, Higher-tier, Wildlife Offers & more
The Countryside Stewardship is a scheme designed for farmers and landowners in which grants can be received for completing actions both on the land and in the form of capital works.
The main priority for the Countryside Stewardship is to protect and enhance the natural environment, in particular; increased biodiversity, expanded woodland areas, and improved habitat, water and air quality. Other supported outcomes include maintaining the historic environment, improved landscape character and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Provided with incentives for looking after the environment, land manager’s can choose from the following elements of the scheme:
– Higher tier agreements for land that requires more complex management tailored to the individual site and now includes woodland maintenance
– Mid tier agreements that provide a range of options and capital items that together help to deliver a broad range of environmental benefits
– 4 Wildlife Offers that provide a simpler set of options to help improve the wildlife on farms
– Capital grants that provide grants for boundaries, tree and orchards, water quality and air quality
– Woodland Management Plan grant to help create a UK Forestry Standard complaint 10-year woodland management plan
– Woodland Tree Health grant to help restore and improve tree health
– Facilitation Fund which supports individuals who bring together groups of farmers, foresters and land managers to improve the environmental outcomes in their area
– Protection and Infrastructure grant which provides grants for woodland infrastructure
Whilst Higher-tier agreements are site specific and competitive, Mid-tier agreements are more widespread and not ranked between applicants. Mid-tier agreements are split into management options – multi-year grants, with payments made every year for 5 years, and capital items – a range of 2 year grants for specific capital works.
The application period runs from February to July each year. Countryside Stewardship is nearing its final year of applications, but will continue to be open to new applicants until 2023 (for agreements starting in 2024). DEFRA and the RPA have announced that the ‘Local Nature Recovery’ scheme, the improved and more ambitious successor to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, will then roll out from 2024-2025. Those in existing CS schemes will be able to swap to the new Local Nature Recovery scheme should they choose.
For more information on the multi-year options and capital items available, please contact us using the details below.
