On Monday, Natural England launched the new Countryside Stewardship scheme, aimed at encouraging farmers to support pollinators, restore wildlife habitats, improve water quality and woodland and reduce flood risk on their land.

Farmers and land managers can now apply for the Mid Tier and Higher Tier of the scheme.

Changes have been made to the scheme this year, in light of low uptake in the first year of the new agri-environment programme. In January, the NFU Council revealed that just 3,000 agreement offers had been made under the new scheme, though 11,000 Entry Level Stewardship agreements expired under the old regime in 2015.

This year’s application window will open earlier, and remain open longer, than it did in 2015, running from 14 March to 30 September. On Monday, Natural England said “New and improved guidance material has also been produced for those considering applying for the scheme. This guidance has been designed in consultation with industry so it is clearer and better meets farmers’ needs.”

Natural England’s Chief Operating Officer Guy Thompson commented,  “Through Countryside Stewardship, farmers and land managers have an important role to play in protecting and improving England’s diverse landscapes and the wildlife that inhabit them.

“We’ve taken on board the lessons learned from last year and the feedback we’ve received along the way from farmers, and have made a number of improvements to Countryside Stewardship. Applicants will now have more time to develop their agreements and better information to help them.”

Though the NFU welcomed the changes on Wednesday, Vice President Guy Smith said more work could be done to improve uptake. He said, “This is quite simple, without the necessary uptake by farmers this new scheme will not work. Farmers will act as the jury as to whether this scheme is fit for purpose and, as yet, the jury is still out.

“The uptake of Countryside Stewardship in its first year was extremely low. We have urged Natural England to make some changes to make it more attractive and it's good to see some of our suggestions, but not all, have been taken up. Whether this will be enough to attract enough farmers remains to be seen.

 “We continue to urge Defra and Natural England to make the drastic improvements that farmers need to see to make the scheme work. The progress made has reaffirmed the importance of the NFU’s role in representing the views of the farming community. And this places us in a good position to continue working with Natural England and Defra on improving the scheme for farmers.”

Details of 2016 scheme

The new Countryside Stewardship scheme remains completive, unlike the old Environmental Stewardship programme. Grants will only be offered to applicants who propose to make the best environmental improvements within their local area. The scheme’s start date is 1 January 2017.

The Mid Tier of Countryside Stewardship offers five-year agreements for environmental improvements in the wider countryside, such as reducing diffuse water pollution or improving the environment for birds, pollinators and farm wildlife.

Higher Tier specifically focuses on environmentally important sites, including commons and woodlands, where the more complex management requires support from Natural England or the Forestry Commission, including tailoring of options.

Application packs can be requested from Natural England by calling 0300 060 3900. The deadline for higher tier applications is 30 April. Mid-tier application packs should be requested by 31st August, to allow applications to be completed by the 30 September deadline. Natural England will be contacting everyone who has Higher Level Stewardship or Entry Level Stewardship agreements expiring this year to let them know which scheme they will be most suited to and what support is available.

More information from Natural England can be viewed here (2016 application timetable) and here (Countryside Stewardship page).

On Wednesday, the NFU said the clearer, more concise manual, target maps and more options for livestock farmers are all steps forward for the Countryside Stewardship scheme, which the union Vice President said come after NFU flagged up key areas of concern for farmers with Natural England and Defra.