Farmers and environmental groups have secured a major victory after the government confirmed a one-year roll over of Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier (CS MT) agreements, protecting more than 5,000 schemes and avoiding a damaging funding cliff edge.
The decision, worth up to £70 million, follows months of pressure from farming organisations, including the NFU and the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN).
It will give farmers the certainty they need to continue delivering environmental benefits such as wildflower margins, bird habitats, species-rich grassland and soil improvement alongside food production.
The announcement was confirmed during a meeting between Defra Secretary Emma Reynolds and NFU President Tom Bradshaw on 14 October, and later backed publicly by Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle.
NFU Deputy President David Exwood said: “We’re really pleased that Defra has listened and given certainty to so many farmers about the future of their environmental work for the year ahead. It recognises the valuable environmental work they have been delivering for many years.”
Martin Lines, CEO of the NFFN, also hailed the outcome. “This announcement is a big win for nature-friendly farmers, and I’m really pleased to see the government has listened to our concerns and responded to what we’ve been calling for,” he said.
“It’s encouraging to see the Minister recognise the need for certainty and continuity for farmers leading the way in delivering food security, nature recovery and climate resilience.”
For farmers on the ground, the rollover is more than an administrative reprieve. Many holdings rely on Countryside Stewardship income to support vital environmental projects.
Without the extension, thousands risked losing financial support and might have been forced to abandon measures that protect biodiversity, enhance soils and build climate resilience.
The NFU’s campaign included submitting a Freedom of Information request to Defra to establish how many agreements were due to expire, writing to ministers, pressing the issue in parliament, and raising it at the Labour Party Conference. On her first day in office, Emma Reynolds met NFU leaders who stressed the urgency of the situation.
Meanwhile, the NFFN pushed ministers to prevent any gap in support as farmers transition to new Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes.
The group warned that without action, many nature-based projects risked collapse just as the government was urging farmers to deliver greater environmental ambition.
Both organisations say the rollover must be followed by clear long-term planning. Exwood called for “transparency over budgets and timelines for the rollout of the new Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme” to help farmers deliver environmental projects as part of “profitable, resilient businesses.”
Lines added that the extension “provides much-needed reassurance and stability” but stressed the importance of future schemes supporting ambitious climate and nature action.
The NFU and NFFN say they will continue working with Defra to shape the rollout of the Sustainable Farming Incentive and wider ELM framework.
The extension, they argue, sends a strong signal that food security and nature recovery must go hand in hand in shaping the UK’s future farm policy.
