CLA concerned landowners protecting the environment will go unrewarded

The CLA says Natural England’s new Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) target areas are forgetting the achievements made under ’classic’ agri-environment schemes such as the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) and Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) scheme.

Responding to the Government agency’s latest conservation initiative, CLA President Henry Aubrey-Fletcher said: "Land managers have been protecting the environment with the help of agri-environment schemes for more than 20 years. Many of these farms are now outside of the new HLS target areas and may find they are unable to renew into the new scheme simply because of new lines drawn on a map.

"This sends out an appalling message to the industry that land managers hard work to protect and enhance our environment may not be rewarded in future.

"Without continued funding many land managers will be unable to afford to manage the important habitats and heritage features on their land which will consequently deteriorate. He argued that public money to maintain features was more cost effective than cash used to recreate habitats from "virgin" land and these habitats are better able to respond to new challenges such as those posed by climate change. The public should be asking why their investments to date in creating and maintaining habitats and other environmental features are now being abandoned to chase new government targets."

The CLA President added: "It is a great pity that NE has decided to drop an ELS Plus agri-environment scheme which would have offered higher payments for the more complex management necessary to maintain priority features in the countryside that are currently not within an HLS target area."