Defra drops invite-only rule for CSHT to allow direct applications
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) will no longer be invite-only, with the scheme soon to be opened up to direct applications.
Defra Secretary of State, Emma Reynolds stated that farmers and land managers will be able to apply for agreements within the scheme for the first time "later this summer" once the restriction is lifted.
The scheme offers grants ranging from woodland and agroforestry agreements to new single-focus agreements that will restore species-rich grassland, with an initial cohort of up to 1,200 single-focus agreements available.
A minimum of £50 million will reportedly be up for grabs through new CSHT agreements this year, according to Defra.
When CSHT launched last September, the department outlined that farmers and land managers could only apply if they were invited by Natural England or the Forestry Commission "as part of a phased rollout".
With the scheme set to be opened for direct applications, farmers and land managers will be allowed to "begin the application process themselves" by submitting an expression of interest.
Defra
During her announcement about the scheme, Reynolds said: "Every thriving meadow restored, every historic landscape protected and every woodland managed more sustainably starts with farmers and land managers who care deeply.
"The Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier will be simpler and easier for more applicants to access, giving more farmers and land managers the opportunity to invest in their businesses while helping to create a richer, greener countryside for future generations.
"We will set out more detail later this summer."
The department stated that goal of this change is to "help more farmers and land managers deliver environmental improvements while continuing food production".
Defra also noted that it will begin trialling applications on common land later this year ahead of a wider rollout.
This announcement follows the launch of this year's Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), with Defra opening the scheme's first application window this week.
