Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Stewardship is a new agri-environment scheme which provides funding to farmers and other land managers in England who deliver effective environmental management on their land. The scheme is intended to build on the recognised success of the Environmental Sensitive Areas scheme and the countryside Stewardship Scheme. Environmental stewardship has three elements:

Entry Level Stewardship (ELS)

• Requires a basic level of environmental management.
• Payment of £30 per hectare, per year across the whole farm (except in extensively grazed upland areas).
• There is a wide range of over 50 options to choose from (e.g. hedgerow management, stone wall maintenance, low input grassland, buffer strips, and arable options), to cover all farming types.
• Five year agreements with automatic payments sent out every six months.
• Straightforward application procedure by completing a Farm Environmental Record (FER).
• Monthly start dates for agreements. Our target is to provide an agreement within three months of receipt of a valid application.

ELS will be administered by the Rural Development Service (RDS) from regional centres. For more informaiton please visit the DEFRA website.

Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS)

• Similar to ELS but recognises the greater environmental benefit that organic farming systems deliver.
• The land to be entered into the scheme must be farmed organically and registered with an approved Organic Inspection Body before an application to OELS is made.
• Is a voluntary, non-competitive scheme.
• Payment of £60 per hectare, per year on land registered with an Organic Inspection Body.
• Aid for converting conventionally farmed improved land and established top-fruit orchards (planted with pears, plums, cherries and apples, excluding cider apples) is also available as a top-up to OELS payments. Payment rates are £175 per hectare per year for two years for improved land and £600 per hectare per year for three years for established top fruit orchards.
• Farmers with a mix of organic and conventional land can apply for OELS on their OELS eligible land and ELS on the remainder at the applicable ELS payment rates as part of one, whole farm, OELS agreement.
• Five year agreements with payments sent out every six months.
• You will receive a payment of £60 per hectare per year for all the organic land you enter into the scheme. In return for these payments, you will be required to deliver 60 'points' worth of management options per hectare of this organic land.

OELS will be administered by the Rural Development Service (RDS) from regional centres. For more informaiton please visit the DEFRA website.

Higher Level Stewardship (HLS)

• Usually combined with ELS or OELS options.
• More complex environmental management where land managers need advice and support.
• Very wide range of management options available, targeted to support key characteristics of the different areas of the English countryside.
• Payments relate to the options chosen.
• Includes payments for capital items such as hedgerow restoration.
• Detailed application by preparing a Farm Environmental Plan (FEP).
• Unlike ELS and OELS entry into the scheme is discretionary. Applications go through an assessment process which takes into account how the application meets the environmental priorities identified in your local area.
• Ten year agreements with payments sent out every six months.

HLS will be administered by the Rural Development Service (RDS) from regional centres with technical advice and support being provided by local Rural Development Advisers. For more informaiton please visit the DEFRA website.