New information about local nature recovery and landscape recovery

[Janet Hughes Defra]

Local Nature Recovery reads like the current Countryside Stewardship Scheme with a few more options. Are we really going to end up with farmers having two lots of Pollen & Nectar plots on their farm, one for SFI and the next for Nature Recovery? Seems like administrative madness.

I have an SFI pilot scheme and I’ve avoided all watercourse options because I was going to end up with grass or floral margins all over the farm but with x metres for land standard, x meters for hedgerow standard and x meters for watercourse standard potentially in the same field. Overly complicated in my opinion.

The difference between SFI and LNR is:

* SFI is for actions that can be taken anywhere, by any farmer, and are generally focused on making farming more environmentally sustainable eg looking after soil, smarter use of fertilisers, integrated pest management
* Local Nature Recovery is for actions that are more locally targeted, benefit from people working together (eg joined up habitats, water quality improvement or flood management interventions in a local area), and involve sparing more land for nature, water / carbon sequestration - eg on less productive areas of your farm

For farmers looking at the schemes, we're working to make it as straightforward as possible: you'll just see a single service that shows you what options are available to you in your particular area (eg if you're on a coast you'll see all the SFI standards, plus a range of Local Nature Recovery options including coastal habitat restoration options that won't be available in inland areas). You'll be able to construct a single agreement covering whatever combination of SFI and LNR you want to do.

 

[Bill the Bass]

@Janet Hughes Defra The increase in revenue rates for CS is very welcome, however the pressing issue is with capital items. We have all seen a massive increase in raw materials costs over the last 18 months making many stewardship capital items a liability (they were loss making two years ago really). Will we see a review of capital payment rates?

 

[Grass And Grain]

Thank you for the info Janet. Don't tend to read farming magazines nowadays, so useful to see it posted here.

I'm hoping the stewardship payment rates for grassland are improved. For SSSI grassland we've seen gradual payment reductions from when we started in circa 1990. Less cash now than 30 years ago. Hopefully that will have been addressed. Only a tiny tiny area for us, but massive problem for farms who have large % of land in SSSI, and have all the SSSI restrictions mandatory imposed on them.

Same with arable options. Stewardship payments are looking poor compared to cropping incomes. Looking forward to seeing the new scheme rules and payment rates.

 

[Goweresque]

We will pay for maintenance of habitats etc, not just creation - sorry if that's not absolutely clear, we'll take that feedback and make sure we make it clearer going forward

But is that existing habitats not just the new ones created under the LNR? For example if one has taken land out of arable production already voluntarily, will one be paid the same rate to that someone taking land out after joining the LNR gets?

 

[DKnD]

@Janet Hughes Defra
Hi Janet, as a new entrant young farmer,
I am already trying to do my bit for nature recovery via Stewardship. I stuck to the timetable laid out for me, jumped through the hoops, and yet I am still to hear if my next 2 years of capital grants (hedgerows) can be actioned or not!
I wish I had more faith in the system.

Wouldn't hold your breath, took till March for ours to come through and that was pre-covid.

 

[upnortheast]

Extract from one
"restoring England’s streams and rivers: improving water quality, biodiversity and adapting to climate change – these projects could restore water bodies, rivers, and floodplains to a more natural state, reduce nutrient pollution, benefit aquatic species, and improve flood mitigation and resilience to climate change"

I frequently look at rural streams & rivers & see crystal clear water
Then in Newcastle I look in the Tyne & Ouseburn & it`s nearly always coloured. - & sometimes worse
That ain`t farmers fault.

 

[Janet Hughes Defra]

@Janet Hughes Defra The increase in revenue rates for CS is very welcome, however the pressing issue is with capital items. We have all seen a massive increase in raw materials costs over the last 18 months making many stewardship capital items a liability (they were loss making two years ago really). Will we see a review of capital payment rates?

We're not updating capital rates within existing schemes right now, no

 

[Janet Hughes Defra]

Thank you for the info Janet. Don't tend to read farming magazines nowadays, so useful to see it posted here.

I'm hoping the stewardship payment rates for grassland are improved. For SSSI grassland we've seen gradual payment reductions from when we started in circa 1990. Less cash now than 30 years ago. Hopefully that will have been addressed. Only a tiny tiny area for us, but massive problem for farms who have large % of land in SSSI, and have all the SSSI restrictions mandatory imposed on them.

Same with arable options. Stewardship payments are looking poor compared to cropping incomes. Looking forward to seeing the new scheme rules and payment rates.

Yes, the rates for some of the grassland options have improved - here's the table with all the new rates:

Countryside Stewardship payment rates for revenue options from 1 January 2022

www.gov.uk

 

[David.]

Will there be any capital grants for creating new ponds to, for example, improve visual amenity from a public space, or in conjunction with a local wildlife trust?

 

[delilah]

The difference between SFI and LNR is:

* SFI is for actions that can be taken anywhere, by any farmer, and are generally focused on making farming more environmentally sustainable eg looking after soil, smarter use of fertilisers, integrated pest management
* Local Nature Recovery is for actions that are more locally targeted, benefit from people working together (eg joined up habitats, water quality improvement or flood management interventions in a local area), and involve sparing more land for nature, water / carbon sequestration - eg on less productive areas of your farm

For farmers looking at the schemes, we're working to make it as straightforward as possible: you'll just see a single service that shows you what options are available to you in your particular area (eg if you're on a coast you'll see all the SFI standards, plus a range of Local Nature Recovery options including coastal habitat restoration options that won't be available in inland areas). You'll be able to construct a single agreement covering whatever combination of SFI and LNR you want to do.

This whole 'it will be nice and simple' attitude sits at the heart of everything that is wrong with ELMS as it stands.
For folks farming on their own, having to do all of the admin for these schemes on top of their 101 other tasks, it is frankly ridiculous for Defra to expect them to marry two or even three strands of ELMS together.
All this is doing is forcing the money towards the big outfits and the estates. If that is an objective of Defra then spit it out and say so. Otherwise, scrap the LNR and LR and put all the money in to SFI options.

edit: Can we have the latest on the 3 way split of the money, is it still proposed to be an equal split between the 3 strands ?

 

[Janet Hughes Defra]

But is that existing habitats not just the new ones created under the LNR? For example if one has taken land out of arable production already voluntarily, will one be paid the same rate to that someone taking land out after joining the LNR gets?

Yes, no matter how or when they were created, we'll have payments for maintenance as well as payments for creation

 

[Janet Hughes Defra]

This whole 'it will be nice and simple' attitude sits at the heart of everything that is wrong with ELMS as it stands.
For folks farming on their own, having to do all of the admin for these schemes on top of their 101 other tasks, it is frankly ridiculous for Defra to expect them to marry two or even three strands of ELMS together.
All this is doing is forcing the money towards the big outfits and the estates. If that is an objective of Defra then spit it out and say so. Otherwise, scrap the LNR and LR and put all the money in to SFI options.

People won't have to marry the strands together, they will be presented in a single service where people will be able to see the full range of options available to them and decide which combination of things they want to do. We're working to make it as simple as possible, and are always on the look-out for farmers to help test our service as we develop it.

Please get in touch if you're reading this and would like to get involved in helping shape this to make it work for farmers - the more farmers eyes we have on this, the better we can make it work for you.

 

[delilah]

People won't have to marry the strands together

Yes they will. Lets say a farmer starts with SFI. Then 3 months down the line a neighbour approaches with an idea for LNR. Straight away we are looking at two timeframes. It will be a buggers muddle. If they are going to be so similar as to make them intertwined, then stop the pretence that they will be two schemes and just put it all in the SFI.

 

[Grass And Grain]

Yes, the rates for some of the grassland options have improved - here's the table with all the new rates:

Countryside Stewardship payment rates for revenue options from 1 January 2022

www.gov.uk

Thank you Janet.

I don't quite understand the table. What does that mean for me? Our 5 year mid-tier started 01/01/2021.

For example, looking at AB1, would we continue to get £511/ha for the 5 years of the agreement, or do we get the new rate of £579

 

[No wot]

The biggest landowners/farmers will get the biggest payment end of , the smaller farmers will go to the wall & and the new schemes will see that intensive livestock farming ( beef feed lots ) will increase at the expense of the traditional livestock farming , its gonna make you think sod the payments let's farm for a margin we can live with or just sell up and get out, sad but true

 

[yellow belly]

Thank you Janet.

I don't quite understand the table. What does that mean for me? Our 5 year mid-tier started 01/01/2021.

For example, looking at AB1, would we continue to get £511/ha for the 5 years of the agreement, or do we get the new rate of £579

View attachment 1008260

as it states rate for existing agreements UP TO 1.1.2022 I take as all existing agreements
ie started on 1.1 2022 or before that date

 

[Billboy1]

Extract from one
"restoring England’s streams and rivers: improving water quality, biodiversity and adapting to climate change – these projects could restore water bodies, rivers, and floodplains to a more natural state, reduce nutrient pollution, benefit aquatic species, and improve flood mitigation and resilience to climate change"

Yet you're allowing water Co's to discharge sewage into water courses??? How much profit do these water Co's make?? And yet we are tasked with making things better for peanuts.
Everything I have read re all these various overly complicated schemes just points at more paperwork for very little return. I do wonder if that is the aim, offer peanuts, we all say no thanks and then you turn round and say we've offered, job done.

thats what disappoints me the restoring rivers and streams bit to me mean getting them dredged and cleaned out not left to go to rack and ruin ! such a backward step makes my blood boil

 

[Janet Hughes Defra]

Thank you Janet.

I don't quite understand the table. What does that mean for me? Our 5 year mid-tier started 01/01/2021.

For example, looking at AB1, would we continue to get £511/ha for the 5 years of the agreement, or do we get the new rate of £579

View attachment 1008260

If your agreement has already started (including those starting this month), then you get the increased rates ie the middle column.

The final column, for agreements starting from Jan 2023 onwards, also includes a small number of reduced prices - these will only apply to those coming into agreements on or after 1 January 2023.

 

[Janet Hughes Defra]

as it states rate for existing agreements UP TO 1.1.2022 I take as all existing agreements
ie started on 1.1 2022 or before that date

Yes that's correct

 

[Janet Hughes Defra]

Yes they will. Lets say a farmer starts with SFI. Then 3 months down the line a neighbour approaches with an idea for LNR. Straight away we are looking at two timeframes. It will be a buggers muddle. If they are going to be so similar as to make them intertwined, then stop the pretence that they will be two schemes and just put it all in the SFI.

We're working hard to ensure that's not the case, but I do see where you're coming from and realise that the proof of the pudding will be in the eating - that's entirely fair enough