Environmental Stewardship
The current Environmental Stewardship regime began in 2005 with ELS & OELS agreements commencing from August of that year. The scheme comprises three tiers of which two are available to all farmers and one is targeted to specific areas. The three tiers are:
- Entry Level Stewardship
- Organic Entry Level Stewardship
- Higher Level Stewardship
Entry Level Stewardship is a whole farm scheme which runs for five years. Entry into the scheme is guaranteed if all scheme conditions can be met. Payments for ELS are at a rate of £30 per hectare (£12 per acre) for all land entered in exchange for committing to a range of options which score 30 points per hectare. To enter this scheme a farm environment record has to first be completed. This provides 3 points per hectare and requires features such as walls, hedges and ditches to be marked on a farm plan. The remaining points can be scored from a wide variety of options including hedgerow management, low input grassland or overwintering stubbles.
The first round of renewals for ELS will occur in 2010. Natural England have stated there are likely to be changes to the existing scheme before these renewals occur. The Soil, Nutrient, Manure and Crop Protection Management plan options, which were particularly popular with arable farmers, have now been withdrawn from the scheme. This shortfall in the points scored will need to be made up using additional land management options. There have also been changes to the way in which penalties are to be calculated for the scheme. For more details please contact us or visit the Natural England Website. ELS applications can now be completed on-line which provides a straightforward and swift method of application.
The Organic Entry Level Scheme is similar to the Entry Level Scheme in that it is a whole farm application but it is open to those who farm organically. All land entered into OELS must be registered with an organic inspection body. This scheme awards £60 per hectare (£24 per acre) to registered organic land, but this does require a higher point’s total of 60 points per hectare. In addition, grants are available for land undergoing conversion on improved land at a rate of £175 per hectare, per year for the first two years of the agreement. Agreements can also be entered into where there is a combination of organic and conventional land on the holding.
Higher Level Stewardship is a targeted scheme which provides funding for specific management practises in addition to ELS or OELS. This scheme is discretionary and competitive, but at present there is funding available which we suspect will allow more farms to become eligible. Natural England have highlighted specific target areas throughout the country where HLS applications would be considered a priority. In the south west, target areas include the Cotswolds, North Wessex Downs, Upper Thames Tributaries and the Malvern Hills. The Targeting Statements highlight specific environmental practises. Theme Statements have also been produced for farms in the South West and South East which are outside of Target Statement areas.
The process of entering HLS is summarised as follows:
- An initial enquiry of Natural England to the “grading” of the farm.
- If the farm is graded A B or C, then farmers can arrange for a Natural England representative to make a free advisory visit to the holding. An advisor will suggest the likelihood of success of applying to the scheme and some of the HLS options that could be utilised.
- If the farm is suitable, a consultant can be employed to produce a Farm Environment Plan (FEP). A standard payment, dependent on the size of the farm, will be made by Natural England as a contribution towards the consultant’s fees.
- If the outcome of the FEP is positive, one can proceed with an HLS application.
Payments received for HLS depend on the type and number of options entered into. Schemes run for ten years with a break clause at the end of the fifth year of the agreement. Examples of options which are currently being targeted by Natural England under HLS include:
- Species Rich Grassland
- Scheduled monuments on their “at risk” list
- Farms within the Farmland Bird Target Area.
At Moore Allen & Innocent LLP, we have considerable experience in advising clients on all aspects of Environmental Stewardship. On behalf of clients, we are able to advise on which options to choose, seeing an application through to completion or simply deciphering the acronyms! For further information on ELS, OELS or HLS, please contact Gemma Dalton or Stuart Milsom on 01285 648107.
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