Payments to those in Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship agreements totalled £343m last week, with more than 31,000 farmers receiving a share.
it has also announced a new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme, which will open next year. This will see payments made quarterly to improve cashflow, as well as the introduction of a rolling application window.
New actions will also be added to improve flood resilience and species abundance, with funding available to secure enhanced environmental benefits and deliver for nature recovery.
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed said: “Our commitment to farmers is steadfast.
“That is why this Government is working hard to get money into farmers bank accounts as well as announcing today how farmers can benefit from the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme, with more flexible actions, improved payments to help cashflow and a rolling application window.
“It’s part of our £5 billion farming budget over two years – the largest ever directed at sustainable food production in our country’s history.
“As we set out our Plan for Change, we are focused on supporting our farmers, supporting rural economics growth and boosting Britain’s food security.”
Rural Payments Agency chief executive Paul Caldwell said: “Our farmers are the heartbeat of the nation’s rural economy, and RPA remains focused on supporting them by getting payments into bank accounts as quickly as possible.
“I am very pleased that this December we have been able to inject more funding than ever from environmental schemes into the rural economy.
“This comes at the same time as providing more certainty over the details in Higher Tier offer to enable farmers to see for themselves how it can benefit them.”
The CSHT schemes will have a controlled rollout, with initial applications on invitation. An additional 14 actions within the Sustainable Farming Incentive will also be published, with availability from summer 2025.
