What Is Countryside Stewardship?

The Countryside Stewardship scheme was originally introduced in 1991 and ran until 2014 before being relaunched for the Rural Development Programme England (RDPE). Countryside Stewardship provides financial incentives for farmers, woodland owners, foresters and land managers to look after and improve the environment.

Through the Countryside Stewardship scheme, farmers and landowners can apply for funding to improve their local environment and biodiversity. There are a range of goals that the scheme aims to achieve, from restoring wildlife habitats and creating woodlands to managing flood risk. 

Under the new plans, the Countryside Stewardship and all other schemes which were available under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy will be replaced by the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme. To help streamline the process, the Countryside Stewardship scheme has been adapted. This means that farmers who enter the agreement now will benefit from the new agricultural policy once it is fully rolled out. The new Environmental Land Management scheme and by entering an agreement now, farmers will be best-placed to benefit from the new agricultural policy once it is fully rolled out in 2024.

The aim of the Countryside Stewardship scheme is look after and improve the environment by:

• Conserving and restoring wildlife habitats
• Providing pollen and nectar sources for endangered pollinators
• Flood risk management
• Providing food and nesting places for birds, insects and other animals
• Woodland creation and management
• Changes to farming practice (such as crop management) and improving farm infrastructure
• Preserving historical features in the landscape and encouraging educational access

For 2022, there are a few changes to the scheme and the application process has been simplified, and there are more options for interventions which can be supported through the scheme. Following ongoing work with environmental industry leaders and customer feedback, some changes have been made to the available schemes this year, including:

These changes include:

• New options to help improve air quality, water quality and reduce ammonia emissions. Advice will be available from Catchment Sensitive Farming Officers to ensure these environmental actions are targeted to where they can best benefit priority habitats. 
• Increased number of capital items that farmers can apply for using the Rural Payments service, covering water capital, hedgerows and boundaries and air quality. Now making 67 options available which can sit alongside a wildlife offer and making the capital offer available to Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement holders, where the options are compatible
• Creating new wood pasture options in the uplands and improving woodland options. This will include bringing bracken control and stone wall options into woodland management and combining Woodland Creation and Woodland Maintenance grants. This will provide a mosaic habitat of grassland, scrub and trees.

Seed mixtures included in Countryside Stewardship

Flower Rich Margins & Plots

Flower-rich grass margins or plot mixtures, under the AB8 section of the scheme, provide important habitat and foraging sites for invertebrates. Seeds commonly found in these mixtures are: Crested Dogstail, Slender Meadow Grass, Yorkshire Fog and Alsike Clover. 

Two year legume fallow mixtures

Legume fallow mixtures, under the AB15 section of the scheme, provides food for farmland wildlife, invertebrate chick food for farmland birds around the sown fallow between April and July. Seeds commonly found in these mixtures are: Winter Vetch, Birdsfoot Trefoil and Lucerne.

Autumn sown bumblebird mix

Autumn sown bumblebird mixtures, under the AB16 section of the scheme, provides important food resources for farmland birds and a range of nectar feeding insects. Seeds commonly found in these mixtures are: Winter Barley, Fodder Radish and Forage Rape.

Whole Crop Cereals

Whole Crop Cereals mixtures, under the AB7 section of the scheme, provides a valuable seed source in grass-dominated areas and during the summer will be foraging for declining and localised farmland birds, small mammals and pollinator species. Seeds commonly found in these mixtures are: Fodder Radish and White Mustard.

Legume and herb-rich swards

Legume and herb-rich swards mixtures, under the GS4 section of the scheme, are suitable for productive cattle and sheep and will also provide habitat and food for invertebrates. Seeds commonly found in these mixtures are: Fodder Radish and White Mustard.

To apply and find out more visit GOV.UK. Information manuals can be downloaded online from GOV.UK, or you can request to receive an application pack in the post by contacting the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). For information on seed mixtures available in these schemes, contact our team today.