Mid-tier Countryside Stewardship - new agreement on new block of ground

[Norfolk Itch-Ants]

Hi,
We have a five year Mid-tier CS agreement in place (started 01/01/20) which includes a lot of capital items (we are in a water sensitive catchment).

A block of ground is coming up for rent next door & if we were successful in getting it (for minimum 5 years), could we enter a new CS agreement on the new block of ground with capital items and field options etc ?

Basically I'm asking if it's possible to have multiple agreements on different blocks of land?

Thanks in advance.

 

[spin cycle]

interesting question....try norfolk FWAG as they'd know

 

[Hindsight]

Hi,
We have a five year Mid-tier CS agreement in place (started 01/01/20) which includes a lot of capital items (we are in a water sensitive catchment).

A block of ground is coming up for rent next door & if we were successful in getting it (for minimum 5 years), could we enter a new CS agreement on the new block of ground with capital items and field options etc ?

Basically I'm asking if it's possible to have multiple agreements on different blocks of land?

Thanks in advance.

Yes is my understanding. But each agreement and the land contained therein is separate.

So, for example, if one had, say 20 hectares AB15 in the first agreement starting 01/01/20 and then has a second agreement starting in, say, 01/01/21 which contained a further 10 hectares AB15, the two amounts of AB15 could only be rotated around the land parcels contained in each of the two separate agreements.

But as ever do not take notice of me, check with Natural England or a consultant. And report back please, so I know if my understanding is correct, or as is often the case I am completely off course!!

 

[farmerm]

Interesting question indeed. Not sure how the online application system would cope?

 

[Hindsight]

Interesting question indeed. Not sure how the online application system would cope?

That I do not know exactly. I did do two online applications July 2019 and the process involved selecting fields to add to an agreement. So (famous last words!) I presume one selects the appropriate fields to enter into a specific agreement. But I do not know really! Am just making it up as I go along.

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

I would have thought you could have two agreements for two different blocks of land but the options you choose could not cross over.

 

[Sprog]

Fairly certain you can. We have applied for another mid tier agreement using field parcels not included in our first agreement which started 1/1/2018. This allows me to apply for more capital items as well as long as not involving field parcels included in my first agreement. I was advised I could do this but have not heard as to whether application has been accepted yet.

 

[Norfolk Itch-Ants]

Thanks for all the replies.
I rang my local Natural England rep in the end & he confirmed that it is possible to have separate agreements on separate blocks. As some others have suggested it isn't possible to interchange options between the different agreements.

 

[Pan mixer]

We have a second agreement on a new block of land, as above, no intermingling of options from block to block but apart from that fine. I have used my new block options to extend some of my original block options to give pollenators etc a longer patch of flowers.