New Year cut in farmers' paperwork will be welcomed by all

Four new offers have been put together to make it easier for farmers and landowners to apply.

The Government has said it expects the scheme to halve the amount of paperwork currently needed - which would be a welcome result for all.

Paperwork is said to be quicker and easier to get through, due to streamlined evidence checks and shorter application forms designed to help save farmers valuable time.

The scheme is also non-competitive, meaning that all farmers who meet the eligibility requirements can get an agreement to deliver as few as three options, or as many as seven up to 14, depending on the offer applied for.

Defra minister George Eustice has also said the revamped scheme would “road-test” thinking for post-Brexit policy.

The current Countryside Stewardship Scheme opened in full in July 2015, with payments beginning in 2016, and replaced Environmental Stewardship, the English Woodland Grant Scheme, and capital grants from the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme.

This year, about 5,000 farmers applied to join mid-tier Countryside Stewardship. But many farmers coming out of the entry-level environmental scheme it replaced chose not to sign up because stewardship was seen as overly complicated.

We have seen and experienced the frustration with the current scheme.

The four new offers – Online Arable Offer, Lowland Grazing Offer, Upland Offer and Mixed Farming Offer – will provide tailored options covering the full range of different farm types, so farmers and land managers can deliver environmental benefits no matter where they are or what they farm.

The popular Hedgerows and Boundaries Grant is also set to receive additional funding from 2018, with farmers and land managers able to apply for a maximum grant of £10,000, up from £5,000 in previous application rounds.

Paul Madeley, Madeleys Chartered Surveyors Director and Founder..