Application window opens for 2024 CS Mid Tier agreements

CS rewards farmers for carrying out additional environmental work while continuing to produce food, ranging from restoring wildlife habitats and managing woodlands, to mitigating flood risks.

The scheme, administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) on behalf of Defra, is part of government efforts to make food production more resilient and efficient whilst contributing towards the UK’s environmental goals on carbon, biodiversity, water quality and net zero.

Following slow initial uptake, 32,000 CS agreements are now in place across England – including nearly 26,000 Mid Tier agreements – a 94% increase since 2020. Based on farmer feedback, the government has continued to improve the scheme by:

• Removing the limit on the value of capital items in the water or air quality, hedgerow and boundary, or natural flood management priorities
• Broadening the offer o support natural flood management, create more areas of scrub, and reduce nitrogen inputs in groundwater
• Improving the application process to make it easier for farmers and land managers, with a new online application service; the removal of the need for farmers to request an application pack before starting their application; automatic checks to enable applications to be processed quicker; and an annual declaration
• Increasing revenue payment rates by an average of 10% and capital payment rates by 48%

Moreover, the government is promising further improvements to the scheme, with around 30 additional actions released by the end of 2024, as well as greater flexibility over when farmers can apply and how they manage their agreements. There will also be improved access for tenant farmers and increased access to Higher Tier options and agreements.

Last but not least, a new CS Plus scheme will reward farmers for working with neighbouring farms and landowners to support climate and environmental goals, while facilitating testing of innovative payment mechanisms, such as payment by results.

Farming minister Mark Spencer said CS has something to offer for every type of farm and encouraged farmers to take advantage of the support available.

“With the latest application window opening today, I urge farmers to take a look at the full range of options and capital items available and consider the improved application process and the removal of the limit on capital grants to see if they could benefit in 2024.”

Meanwhile, RPA chief executive Paul Caldwell commented: “We are continuing to improve Countryside Stewardship, building on the successes we have achieved already, which has seen more farmers and land managers applying and we want to do more.

“With a broadened offer and improvements to the application process, this is a great opportunity for those new to agri-environment schemes and those who may have decided not to apply in the past, and I would urge farmers and land managers to get involved where possible.”

What’s new in 2024 Mid Tier agreements

Farmers applying to CS Mid Tier agreements from today onwards have a number of new options available, such as supporting natural flood management, creating more areas of scrub, and reducing nitrogen inputs in groundwater, alongside others.

Whereas, existing Wildlife Offers for arable, mixed, lowland grazing and uplands farmers provide a package of actions aimed at supporting wildlife on farms by providing sources of nectar and pollen for pollinators and winter food and improved habitats for birds.

Applications can also be submitted today for multi-year grants, where payments are made annually for five years, as well as a range of grants for specific capital works including capital to help prevent water and air pollution, support natural flood management, and create or restore hedgerows.

As mentioned above, the limit on the value of capital items that can be included in a Mid Tier agreements has been removed. Dedicated advice to support management of water and air pollution and natural flood management is also available from Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) officers in all catchments

Applications for 2024 can be made via the Rural Payments Service, and a number of improvements have been made to simplify the administration process.

With the help of the new online application service, it’s now clearer and easier for farmers and land managers to submit an application. Farmers simply need to accept and download an agreement, there is no longer a need to request an application pack. Checks will be carried out automatically going forward, enabling the RPA to process applications much faster.

To further reduce the administrative burden on applicants, the RPA has also introduced an annual declaration as part of the CS claim, making the process even quicker for farmers.