Important nature-friendly farming scheme for England to reopen

The Government has announced that applications will reopen for the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme in England from summer 2025. The scheme is critical for nature recovery, as through it, the Government supports farmers and land managers to protect and restore their environment, mitigate against climate change, and deliver clean water, air and flood mitigation measures. But, despite an improved application process, the number of new agreements being issued has declined in recent years. 
 
In recent application rounds, about 80% fewer applications were offered than in previous years and good applications were turned away. The number of new agreements planned for 2025-2026 is fewer than half of the 3,000 to 4,000 needed to meet targets related to species abundance and extinction, as set out by in the UK’s Governments Environmental Improvement Plan.  

Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier pays farmers to undertake actions on their farms to create nature and climate benefits, alongside sustainable food production.  
 
Higher Tier agreements focus on more ambitious land management and can fund farmers and land managers to create and restore wetlands, peatlands, moorlands, grasslands and more. Land managers can also receive funding for the recovery of specific species like Curlews and Cirl Buntings. The scheme has benefitted community access to nature too, funding permissive pathways and allowing nature-friendly farms to be equipped to welcome school visits.

James Robinson at Strickley, Kendal 

James Robinson’s family have farmed their Strickley Farm in south Cumbria since 1875 for five generations. The 300-acre dairy farm has been fully organic since 2006 and has been in Countryside Stewardship schemes for 30 years.  
 
Clover, chicory, and plantain help to fix nitrogen in the ground, removing the need for artificial fertilizer while supporting precious pollinators. Hedgerows run through the landscape and, as well as providing corridors and food for wildlife, the prized shorthorn cattle herd use the shelter as a buffer from the weather. Rocky and wet areas of the land which had previously been a struggle to farm have been handed over to nature. James has rewiggled watercourses, allowing wetland habitats to flourish. Red-listed Tree Sparrows thrive at Strickley and declining species like Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary have been returning to the farm.  
 
While James encourages other farmers to do whatever they can for nature – no matter how small – outside of funding agreements, the scale of the targeted habitats management that happens on Strickley wouldn’t be possible without schemes like Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. 

70% of the UK is farmed. So much of our struggling wildlife calls this land home. For our birds, bees and butterflies to come fluttering and buzzing back along our hedgerows, for the colour, the sounds, the scent of a thousand wildflowers to return to our countryside, we must put nature at the heart of the way we produce our food. 
 
Since the Second World War, the changes to the way we farm have happened at pace. A national effort to boost food security across the UK was driven financially by the Government, and farmers did what was asked of them.  In a bid to make farmland more productive, wetlands were drained, hedgerows were removed, and livestock numbers increased.    
  
In recent years, small farms and mixed crofts have been replaced with large specialist farms. The industrialisation of farming, including the increased use of pesticides, insecticides and machines, have contributed to severe species declines. The 2024 Farmland Bird Index shows us that the abundance of 19 key bird species has fallen dramatically since the 1970s, tumbling on average by 61% in the UK. 
 
To grow food, we need nature. Healthy soils, clean water, a rich diversity of life - nature gives us the very things on which all food production depends. It’s crucial for the agricultural economy; one example shows pollination by bees and other pollinators is worth £500 million annually to crop production in the UK. To make sure we can grow the food we need in the future, we must value the part nature plays and put it at the heart of the way we farm.

To see nature-friendly farming on the scale needed, new independent research says the UK Government must increase investment in agriculture for nature-friendly farming to £5.9 billion a year. This should be divided between the four UK countries based on their need and specifically earmarked for nature-friendly farming.  
 
In England, improving access to ambitious Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Landscape Recovery are crucial to reach the target of halting the decline of species abundance by 2030. An entry level scheme, like the recently paused Sustainable Farming Incentive, is also important to drive a mass shift to more sustainable management practices. 

Higher tier schemes are essential to support the restoration of protected landscapes and for maintaining and restoring many species and significant habitats for wildlife at risk from extinction from the UK. From flower rich hay meadows across the North Pennines – which provide habitat for Curlews – to the successful recovery of Turtle Doves and Cirl Buntings, this work has only been possible by offering farmers targeted incentives.

Farming for Wildlife | Wildlife Friendly Farming Advice