Environmental Stewardship update
by Strensham Office
January 26, 2010
On the 1st February 2010 the Entry Level Stewardship and Organic Entry Level Stewardship will be re-launched to coincide with the expiration of many existing agreements.
The Classic schemes (Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Area schemes) will not be continued when the current agreements expire, therefore the current agreement holders will have to look at the other schemes to achieve a regular income.
Since 2005 Carver Knowles helped many clients enter Entry Level Stewardship (ELS), Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS) and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS), which provides a guaranteed income for the agreement holder as well as many intangible benefits such as enhancing the capital value of the land, ensuring cross compliance standards are achieved and adding value to diversified activities on the holding.
Many of the original agreements will expire from 2010 onwards therefore it is the time to review the options on the land and make improvements to schemes to increase resource protection, save costs and add value to existing enterprises. The re-launch of the schemes on 1st February 2010 will also see the introduction of new options which may make the scheme viable to new entrants. Further to this Natural England has an increased impetus to increase the amount of land in Higher Level Stewardship schemes, particularly on Sites of Significant Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Flood plains.
This re-launch may present an opportunity to earn an extra £30/ hectare without needing to dramatically change your farming system. If you would like any information regarding the new options or if your current agreement is about to expire please do not hesitate to contact the Strensham office.