The Countryside Stewardship schemes are once again open for the annual application window. The Higher Tier and Mid Tier schemes return as in previous years and are supplemented with Wildlife Offers and Capital Grants offering a variety of management options to be used by farmers and land managers to improve and maintain the land they oversee. Additional options have been added for 2022 which aim to help improve air quality, reduce ammonia emissions and improve water quality. 

The Mid Tier scheme offers grant payments on multi-year management options to support activities that benefit your local environment. You can apply for a combination of multi-year options and capital grants that are most relevant to your business.

You can access Mid Tier grants through 2 different routes:

Mid Tier – choose this route for a wide range of management options and capital grants up to £120,000. This route helps you do more to support your local environment and access a larger pot of capital grant money. The application process is competitive so your application will be scored and ranked.

Grants are available as management options – multi-year grants, payments made every year for 5 years and capital items – a range of 2 year grants for specific capital works. Some of which are listed in the capital grants section below.

If you would like to know more about the options available to your farm business or a complete list of multi-year options please email enquiries@keedwellandco.co.uk or call on 07801574367.

The Wildlife Offers - choose these for a range of management options that focus on providing habitats for farm wildlife. They are non-competitive and the quickest and easiest way to apply for the Mid Tier. Wildlife Offers can be combined with a separate Countryside Stewardship capital grants agreement on the same land parcel.

They support wildlife by creating:

• sources of nectar and pollen for insect pollinators
• winter food for seed-eating birds
• improved habitats, especially for farmland birds and pollinators

Each Offer has a set of options and minimum requirements, these requirements need to be met in order to be eligible for funding. Furthermore each option brings specific wildlife benefits and have their own payment rate. Wildlife offers will be offered as a 5 year agreement with annual payments  for successful applicants.

• Boundaries, Tress and Orchards
• Water Quality
• Air Quality

A few sample capital items from each as listed below:

•  Boundaries, Trees and Orchards - stone faced bank repair; earth bank creation and restoration; hedge laying and coppicing; planting new hedgerows; badger gates; various wildlife boxes and more.

• Water Quality - fencing, sheep netting and permanent electric fencers to protect waterways; hard bases for livestock drinkers, feeders and gateways; ramp pump and pasture pumps, water troughs and pipework; sediment ponds and traps, earth bunds and silt filtration dams; concrete yard renewal; rainwater goods; and many more...

• Air Quality - automatic scraper; low ammonia flooring for livestock buildings; supply and plant trees. 

For a full list of these capital options or if you would like to discuss which of these options would be suitable for your farm please call on 07801 574367 or email us at enquiries@keedwellandco.co.uk

 

Higher Tier covers the more environmentally significant sites, commons and woodlands. The options, supplements and capital items available are more complex than Mid Tier due to the needs of these sites. Please contact us at enquiries@keedwellandco.co.uk to find out more. We will work with your local Catchment Sensitive Farming Officers to ensure these environmental actions are targeted to where they can best benefit priority habitats.

The deadline for the Forestry Commission to receive your final, woodland only application for the Higher Tier Woodland Improvement grant has changed to 31 August 2021.