There are three main sources of government grant to assist the management
of moorland and adjacent rough grazing land:
Environmental Stewardship
Environmental
Stewardship (ES) is the Natural England administered English agri-environment
scheme. It provides funding to farmers and other land managers who deliver
effective environmental management on their land. In the uplands, can
offer payments for agreed levels of grazing that encourage longer vegetation,
maintain areas of rough grazing and hay meadows and pastures. Payments
for capital works such as small-scale tree planting and wall repairs
are also available.
Entry-Level Stewardship (ELS) is the baseline strand of ES. It is a
whole farm scheme which pays land managers £30 a hectare (or £8
a hectare for units of 15ha or over in the Less Favoured Area) for delivering
a range of simple environmental measures on their farm. All applicants
are guaranteed an agreement, provided they meet the point threshold.
Higher-Level Stewardship (HLS) is the more complex strand of ES, which
sits above ELS. Land managers are paid non-fixed amounts dependent on
the options taken up. The scheme is competitive and only those applications
which best meet regional environmental priorities, including biodiversity
and priority bird species, are accepted.
Full details and guidance on how to apply can be found on the defra
website.
Hill Farm Allowance
Farms in the LFA currently receive grants under the Hill Farm Allowance.
This scheme is currently under review, and is likely to change from
2010. Defra intend to incorporate this scheme into Environmental Stewardship,
most likely as an additional upland strand of ELS.
Classic Schemes
Although all classic schemes including Countryside Stewardship (CSS),
and Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) are closed to new applicants
a number of these agreements are still operating. Agreement holders
whose agreements are soon to end, or who wish to transfer early to Environmental
Stewardship should contact their local Natural England Office.
