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Know How / Environmental schemes

Each of the UK’s devolved administrations has its own agri-environment scheme – for example, the Countryside Stewardship Scheme in England and the Agri-environment Climate Scheme in Scotland.

Find out what’s involved in signing up to a ‘green scheme’ and get practical tips on putting together your application.

Advice and tips

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Advice on preparing early for new grant funding applications

A new round of standalone Countryside Stewardship (CS) Capital Grants 2025-26 will open this summer worth £45m and funding a significant proportion of the cost of a wide range of…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

A guide to staying SFI compliant

Unlike more rigid support schemes of the past, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is all about giving farmers greater flexibility to make actions work for their farm, while simultaneously delivering…

ARABLE

Tips on achieving healthy hedgerows on farm

Hedges are a defining feature of our countryside and one of the best habitats for wildlife on any farm.  Far more than being a boundary, they also support farm business…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

Nutrient mitigation market merits careful consideration

Headlines about housebuilding being held up by environmental measures have abated to some extent, but the need to ensure that new development does not increase the nitrogen and phosphate loading…

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Case studies

OTHER CROPS

How Cornish mixed farm gains from regen stacking

Cornish farmer David Oates is set to see more money coming in from stacking regenerative actions on his mixed family farm than from the old Basic Payment Scheme subsidy. He…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How Wilts estate's 'practical regen' approach supports yields

Covering 1,800ha within the Cranbourne Chase National Landscape, a family-owned estate is aiming to increase biodiversity without compromising yields or profits. The productive chalk downland farm is home to various…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why one Essex arable farm faces difficult decisions in 2025

Essex farmer Tom Streeter admits that he and his brother Will have some difficult decisions to make about the future of the family farming business, having looked at the details…

ARABLE

No-till provides zero cost way into support scheme

Kent grower Richard Day is set to use his adoption of direct drilling and precision fertiliser techniques under new environment schemes to gain more than 40% of his old direct…

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Insights

FARM POLICY

How the Ffermio Bro agri-environment scheme is bedding in

The Welsh government’s agri-environmental scheme for its designated landscapes and national parks – called Ffermio Bro – has started in earnest since its launch in April. Aiming to encourage nature-friendly…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

How private cash is funding environmental measures

A system to pay for nature-based measures to address shared challenges along the supply chain is benefiting both funders and farmers in a wide range of landscapes. Landscape Enterprise Networks…

ARABLE

Getting the most from on-farm ponds for wildlife

Often one of the most neglected on-farm habitats, ponds can really have an impact on wildlife considering the small area they occupy. Providing they remain unpolluted, ponds are refuges for…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

NI Sustainable Agriculture Programme – all you need to know

Farmers in all four UK countries are under pressure from their respective governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but livestock producers in Northern Ireland (NI) are perhaps shouldering the greatest…

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News

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

NSA seeks early access to Countryside Stewardship ground

With many parts of the country struggling with exceptionally dry weather, the National Sheep Association (NSA) has requested an urgent temporary derogation for grazing certain environmental land options that are…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

New 'farming with nature' scheme opens in Northern Ireland

Farmers in Northern Ireland can access the new Farming with Nature Transition (FwNT) scheme, with cash now available for undertaking environmental works on farms. The transition scheme, which forms part…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Farming budget slashed as Defra fine print reveals cuts

Defra’s Farming and Countryside Programme budget will drop sharply to £2.32bn in 2026-27, as more details emerge following chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spending Review. Analysis by consultancy firm Andersons suggest this…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

Defra rejects appeal to widen application pool for SFI 2024

An appeal from the Tenant Farmers Association to allow a wider range of farmers to finish their Sustainable Farming Incentive 2024 scheme applications has been rejected by Defra. The door…

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