With the current Rural Development Programme (RDP) due to finish at the end of the year and the new RDP not set to come into effect until 2015, DEFRA have now unveiled their transitional plan for 2014 which will severely restrict entry to both types of Stewardship scheme.
Standard ELS will only be available on land coming out of ‘classic’ agreements (Countryside Stewardship Schemes and Environmentally Sensitive Area Schemes) in 2014. However Uplands and Organic Entry Level Stewardship will continue to be available.
Meanwhile HLS funding in 2014 will be reduced to £26 million compared to nearly £40 million this year. Agreements will only be available on land coming out of the ‘classic’ agreements in 2014 on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s), to meet Water Framework objectives, and other high priority cases.
Farmers wishing to enter Stewardship schemes this year, before these new requirements come into force, will need to have submitted ELS applications by the 1st September or HLS applications by the 31st July this year.
For those wishing to enter HLS, the first step that we would recommend would be to speak to Natural England and ask for one of their advisers to come out to your holding and discuss whether there is potential for an HLS agreement. They will also give you an idea of which options may be suitable on which parcels, which will enable you to work out what the potential income could be.
Next one must prepare a Farm Environmental Plan (FEP). This is a report which identifies and assesses the condition of features of historical, wildlife, resource protection, access and landscape interest. Generally one would appoint agents such as ourselves to complete this. It is important the FEP is accurate and that nothing is missed, as the HLS application will be based on this information. The cost of preparing the FEP can be recovered from Natural England.
Once the FEP is completed usually you and/or your agent would meet with your Natural England (NE) adviser on site. The adviser will tell you which land would be suitable for certain options and this will also be an opportunity to discuss Capital Works. Your NE adviser will not usually allow any additional options or Capital Works over and above those that have been agreed at this meeting, so it is therefore imperative to suggest as many options and Capital Works as possible, and to make sure you make a note of what the NE adviser has agreed to. This is why having an agent present can be extremely helpful.
The NE adviser would then usually write you a letter setting out the options and Capital Works that were agreed at the meeting. You must make sure that you check this thoroughly and point out anything that has been missed.
You can now prepare and submit the HLS application. In the vast majority of cases the HLS will be combined with ELS and it is important to work out the best combination of ELS and HLS options to maximise the payment.
Your application will then either be approved or rejected. If approved, you will be sent a copy of the agreement to sign. The agreement will then start on a date agreed with Natural England and will last for ten years.
The majority of farmers will employ an agent to handle the whole HLS application process. Some agents who are not Chartered Surveyors will most likely offer you a relatively cheap quote for this work. However such agents are usually heavily reliant on their good relationship with Natural England and not necessarily focused on achieving the best results for you the farmer. We, on the other hand, take a more commercial view. Our only objective is to get farmers the highest payment possible with the minimum impact on their current farming system. Due to our broad expertise, we are also able to link the agreement in with every aspect of the farm or estate so that additional complications are minimised.