Countryside Stewardship: detail of new simplified offers
Four new offers will open for applications in the New Year to make it easier for farmers and landowners to apply.
Minister Eustice with Richard Bramley on his farm
Four new Countryside Stewardship (CS) offers will be introduced for farmers and land managers from the New Year to boost biodiversity and help protect and enhance farmland and the countryside.
Significant improvements have been made to the scheme to make it simpler and easier for farmers and land managers to apply.
皇冠体育app 4 new Offers 鈥� Online Arable Offer, Lowland Grazing Offer, Upland Offer and Mixed Farming Offer 鈥� will provide tailored options covering the full range of different farm types, so farmers and land managers can deliver environmental benefits no matter where they are or what they farm.
皇冠体育app popular Hedgerows and Boundaries Grant will also receive additional funding from 2018, with farmers and land managers able to apply for a maximum grant of 拢10,000, up from 拢5,000 in previous application rounds.
Paperwork for the new offers is quicker and easier to get through, due to streamlined evidence checks and shorter application forms designed to help save farmers valuable time. 皇冠体育app scheme is also non-competitive, meaning that all farmers who meet the eligibility requirements can get an agreement to deliver as few as 3 options, or as many as 7 up to 14, depending on the offer applied for.
皇冠体育app changes have been made to help more farmers get back into agri-environment schemes, with options such as the popular nectar flower mix which many farmers delivered under the ELS schemes available to apply for in the new CS offers. 皇冠体育app new Upland Offer also provides an opportunity for farmers who were on HLS agreements to get into Mid Tier agreements.
皇冠体育appse new offers will complement the existing Higher Tier as well as the Mid Tier offer which has been enhanced and will continue to be available, supporting agreements delivering organics, historic, water quality, wet grassland and traditional orchards.
Scheme handbooks with more detail on how to apply and the best options for different farms will be published in the New Year to coincide with the application window opening.
Further details on the offers
Full details of the new CS Offers for Wildlife.
Online Arable Offer
皇冠体育appre are 11 arable options to choose from.
Farmers must pick at least one option from each category and the package delivers the minimum 3% of farmed land under option management which is needed for farmland birds and wild pollinators.皇冠体育appy can select more options from the list if they wish, with no maximum amount (subject to any individual options requirements). 皇冠体育app minimum number of options in the 5 year agreement is 3.
Delivering the offer provides the year round benefits essential to birds and pollinating insects, and can help protect water quality.
| Category 1. Nectar and pollen sources for insect pollinators and insect-rich foraging for birds (minimum 1 ha per 100 ha of farmed land included in the agreement, no maximum) | ||
|---|---|---|
| AB1 | Nectar flower mix | 拢511 |
| AB8 | Flower-rich margins and plots | 拢539 |
| Category 2. Winter food for seed-eating birds (minimum 2 ha per 100 ha farmed land included in the agreement, no maximum) | ||
| AB9 | Winter bird food | 拢640 |
| Category 3. Additional resources & habitats (no min or max, apart from individual option requirements) | ||
| BE3 | Management of hedgerows | 拢8/100尘 |
| AB4 | Skylark plots | 拢18 (拢9 per plot, min. 2 plots per ha). |
| AB5 | Nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew | 拢524 |
| AB6 | Enhanced overwinter stubble | 拢436 |
| AB11 | Cultivated areas for arable plants | 拢532 |
| AB12 | Supplementary winter feeding for farmland birds | 拢632 per tonne for every 2 ha of AB9 |
| SW1 | 4m to 6m buffer strip on cultivated land | 拢353 |
| WT2 | Buffering in-field ponds and ditches on arable land | 拢501 |
Lowland Grazing Offer
皇冠体育appre are 7 options to choose from. 皇冠体育appse are divided into 3 categories in the table and delivering the package will provide year round food, shelter and nesting habitat for birds, and nectar sources and habitat for pollinating insects.
Farmers must pick at least one option from category 1 and 2. 皇冠体育app minimum number of options in the 5 year agreement is 2. Farmers can select more options if they wish
| Category 1. Nectar and pollen sources for insect pollinators and insect-rich foraging for birds (minimum 2 ha per 100 ha of farmed land included in the agreement, no maximum) | ||
|---|---|---|
| GS2 | Permanent grassland with very low inputs (outside SDA) | 拢95 |
| GS4 | Legume and herb-rich swards | 拢309 |
| Category 2. Nesting and shelter for insect pollinators and birds (minimum 500m of BE3 or 1 ha of GS1 per 100 ha farmed land included in the agreement, no maximum) | ||
| BE3 | Management of hedgerows | 拢8/100尘 |
| GS1 | Take field corners out of production (outside SDA) | 拢365 |
| Category 3. Optional additional resources & habitats (no min or max, apart from individual option requirements) | ||
| GS3 | Ryegrass seed-set as winter/spring food for birds | 拢331 |
| GS17 | Lenient grazing supplement | 拢44 |
| WT1 | Buffering in-field ponds and ditches in improved grassland | 拢201 |
Upland Offer
皇冠体育appre are 4 base options and additional supplements farmers can choose from. 皇冠体育appre are no categories in the uplands offer.
As a minimum, farmers must pick 1 base option and 2 supplements or 2 base options and 1 supplement. 皇冠体育app minimum number of options/supplements is 3, but farmers can select more options if they wish.
Selecting the right mix of options/supplements will help provide the right management for flower鈥搑ich meadows and nesting and foraging habitat for upland birds, including breeding waders. 皇冠体育app option also help protect water quality.
| Base options | ||
|---|---|---|
| GS5 | Permanent grassland with very low inputs in SDAs | 拢16 |
| UP1 | Enclosed rough grazing | 拢39 |
| UP2 | Management of rough grazing for birds | 拢88 |
| BE3 | Management of hedgerows | 拢8/100尘 |
| Supplements | ||
| GS15 | Haymaking supplement | 拢85 |
| GS16 | Rush control supplement | 拢73 |
| GS17 | Lenient grazing supplement | 拢44 |
| SP6 | Cattle grazing supplement | 拢45 |
Mixed Farming Offer
皇冠体育appre are 14 options to choose from. 皇冠体育appse are divided into 3 categories.
Farmers must pick at least one option from category 1, 2 and 3, and delivering the package will provide year round food, shelter and nesting habitat for birds, and nectar sources and habitat for pollinating insects.
Some category 3 options can help protect water quality and aquatic habitats. 皇冠体育app minimum number of options in the 5 year agreement is 3.
| Category 1. Nectar and pollen sources for insect pollinators and insect-rich foraging for birds (minimum 1 ha per 100 ha of farmed land included in the agreement for AB1 and AB8; 2ha for GS4. No maximum) | ||
|---|---|---|
| AB1 | Nectar flower mix | 拢511 |
| AB8 | Flower-rich margins and plots | 拢539 |
| GS4 | Legume and herb-rich swards | 拢309 |
| Category 2. Winter food for seed-eating birds (minimum 2 ha per 100 ha farmed land included in the agreement, no maximum) | ||
| AB9 | Winter bird food | 拢640 |
| Category 3. Additional resources & habitats (no min or max, apart from individual option requirements) | ||
| AB5 | Nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew | 拢524 |
| AB6 | Enhanced overwinter stubble | 拢436 |
| AB11 | Cultivated areas for arable plants | 拢532 |
| AB12 | Supplementary winter feeding for farmland birds | 拢632 per tonne for every 2 ha of AB9 |
| GS2 | Permanent grassland with very low inputs (outside SDAs) | 拢95 |
| GS17 | Lenient grazing supplement | 拢44 |
| SW1 | 4m to 6m buffer strip on cultivated land | 拢353 |
| BE3 | Management of hedgerows | 拢8/100尘 |
| WT1 | Buffering in-field ponds and ditches in improved grassland | 拢201 |
| WT2 | Buffering in-field ponds and ditches on arable land | 拢501 |
Hedgerows and Boundaries
This offer has been improved for the 2018 application round. 皇冠体育app application window opens earlier in 2018, the total budget available has been increased to 拢10 million and the maximum grant individuals can apply rises to 拢10,000 from 拢5,000.
皇冠体育app scoring system has also been simplified and farmers can apply online.