Farmers and landowners wanting to apply for the Mid-Tier Countryside Stewardship programme are being advised to act now so they don’t miss out on important payments.
Having replaced both the Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) schemes last year, the Countryside Stewardship is a competitive scheme so farmers have to demonstrate they can deliver the environmental benefits in order to qualify.
Open to all eligible farmers, woodland owners, foresters and other land managers it is suitable for many types of land use from conventional and organic farmland, coastal areas, uplands and woodlands
Under the new scheme there is just the one start date each year being 1st January and an application window that closes on 30th September this year.
The deadline might seem a little way off, but application packs need to be applied for from Natural England.
'Submit it on time and in the right way'
Ben Compton, one of the rural experts at Bruton Knowles, is now advising those wanting to apply to do so sooner rather than later.
Compton is also keen to highlight the need for farmers to instigate their applications before they get too heavily involved with the main harvest, a time where form filling usually takes a back seat.
Ben said: "It’s important this application is submitted on time and in the right way, otherwise they run the risk of losing out.
"Also, with the grants under this scheme being competitive means the criteria for entry is much harder.
"This could result in farmers and landowners spending a lot of time on their application to no avail, time that could otherwise be spent on the land.
