Farmers in England can now express interest in new Defra stewardship funding for traditional orchards and wildlife-rich wet grassland, with annual payments of up to £547 per hectare.
Defra opened expressions of interest on Tuesday (3 November) for two new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) opportunities, aimed at protecting traditional orchards and improving habitats for wintering birds.
The new agreements offer annual payments of £547 per hectare for managing suitable wet grassland, £471 for creating traditional orchards and £264 for maintaining existing orchards.
Wet grassland management and existing orchard agreements run for five years, while farmers creating traditional orchards must commit to a 10-year agreement.
The funding is designed to support environmentally beneficial farming practices, including restoring wildlife habitats, protecting traditional fruit trees and providing feeding and roosting areas for wintering waders and wildfowl.
To qualify for orchard management payments, farmers must have eligible traditional orchards that meet specific requirements relating to tree age, species and habitat conditions.
Funding for creating traditional orchards is available on suitable land, including areas where orchards previously existed or where new planting would connect existing woodland and tree habitats.
Wet grassland payments are available for eligible areas already supporting wintering birds or land with strong potential for habitat restoration or creation.
The latest announcement builds on two single-focus agreements introduced in July, covering species-rich grassland and scheduled monument management.
According to Defra, more than 1,100 expressions of interest have already been submitted for the earlier opportunities.
The department said expanding the scheme would make it easier for more farmers and land managers to access environmental funding while delivering improvements for nature.
Farmers interested in the new options must first check their eligibility through the CSHT applicant's guide before submitting an online expression-of-interest form.
Applicants must also ensure their contact details and permissions are up to date in the Rural Payments service.
Those interested in more than one agreement topic must submit a separate expression of interest for each.
However, farmers should not submit an expression of interest for land where they have already been invited to apply for CSHT or are receiving, or expecting, pre-application advice from Natural England.
The process is also unavailable for land covered by an existing agreement with more than nine months remaining before expiry.
Following submission, Natural England is expected to contact applicants within 10 weeks to explain the next steps and whether a site visit is required.
Farmers whose expressions of interest are accepted can progress to the full application process, although submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee funding.
