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Key information for agri-environment scheme agreement holders

Environment and climate
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We've outlined key information and changes for those already in ES (Environmental Stewardship), CS (Countryside Stewardship) and HLS (Higher Level Stewardship) agreements.

Changes to T&Cs

All existing EU agri-environment agreements moved to domestic (UK) T&Cs (Terms and Conditions) on 1 January 2023.

The move allows for a simplification of the schemes which in turn will help to create greater flexibility and opportunities for agreement holders, an ask the NFU has continued to lobby for. These flexibilities are outlined below. 

A summary of the main changes to the T&Cs is available on GOV.UK for each scheme:

Flexibilities

Site visits and administrative checks

There is greater flexibility to the RPA's approach to site visits (previously called inspections) and administrative checks.

This includes a longer notice period given to agreement holders before a site visit and in some cases virtual site visits.

The field officers (previously called inspectors) will take a new supportive and farmer focused approach. More information about this approach can be found on this RPA blog:

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Breaches, repayments, and penalties

Where there is a difference between what is being delivered in the agreement and what is being claimed the RPA, following checks, will recover any difference.

If the RPA has already paid the agreement holder, they will recover the difference.

Additional penalties however will not be applied but reductions will still apply to late payment claims.

There will be no payment recovery for exiting an agreement early and entering another environmental scheme.

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HLS extensions

The RPA is offering a two-year extension to eligible HLS agreements expiring in 2024. Natural England has already approved these agreements for extension. If your agreement has already expired, you can only request an extension if you have continued to manage your land in accordance with your agreement.

For HLS agreements expiring in 2025, Natural England will review each case and recommend either a one or two year extension.

Defra previously announced its intention to retire HLS agreements and encourage their transition to SFI or CS. The final HLS agreements will expire in 2028.

Find out more at: .

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CS mirror agreements

If your Higher Tier agreement expires at the end of 2024, or is partly expiring, you’ll be offered a mirror agreement with the same duration. The agreement will be identical to your existing agreement.

If your agreement contains an SSSI, you will need to contact Natural England separately to update the SSSI consent to match the duration of your new CS Higher Tier agreement.

Find out more at: .

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Transferring between schemes

The ability to move between agreements is another one of the flexibilities created as a result of existing EU agri-environment agreements moving to domestic T&Cs from 1 January 2023.

Agreement holders can now leave an agri-environment agreement early if they are successfully accepted onto another environmental scheme that provides as a minimum equivalent environment management.

Currently, there is no formal process to enable transfers between schemes such as HLS and CS to SFI. »Ê¼Ò»ªÈËis lobbying the new government for arrangements to be put in place and guidance to be issued.

Defra intends to introduce an automatic process next year. If you do want to undertake a transfer before the automatic process is in place, please contact the RPA. This will be a more bureaucratic process.

»Ê¼Ò»ªÈËunderstands that for the agreement you are leaving you will be paid until the last complete agreement year. If you leave part way through the agreement year, you will not be paid for the part-year. The new agreement will not need to have the equivalent options in it.

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Agreement co-locating

The block preventing more than one agreement in a parcel has been removed.

A CS revenue application (Higher Tier, Mid-Tier...) can be submitted for any unused land in a land parcel with an existing HLS or CS agreement on.

It is possible to have a SFI agreement on the same land as long as you’re not being paid twice for the same activity.

This allows multiple agreements on the same land parcel as long as there is no overlap. Agreements would essentially sit side by side.

Further key updates:

CS option GS4 on land parcels containing an historic feature

Following NFU lobbying CS option GS4 (legume and herb-rich swards) can now be offered on land parcels that contain a historic feature, as long as the option is not on the historic or archaeological feature and there is a suitable buffer area.

Stacking CS/ES/HLS and the SFI

Defra will not allow payment for the same action twice. Some of the scheme actions are however different, this means that some options and agreements can be stacked in the same area. Interaction between an SFI agreement and CS depends on the standard and type of agreement (revenue or capital).

More information about how SFI interacts with CS/ES/HLS can be found at

Defra is aiming for a single integrated online service where farmers can select the combination of actions across SFI and CS that work for them. 

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This page was first published on 19 September 2023. It was updated on 26 November 2024.


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