More than quarter of a million hectares in Uplands ELS after 2,000 farmers sign up
19 August 2010
Across the Peak District, 200 farmers apply to bring 8,000 ha of uplands into the new scheme
Just over 200 hill farmers across the Peak District have now signed up for the new Uplands green farming scheme, which could earn them £18,600 on average over the course of their agreement, according to Natural England’s figures.
Just six weeks after Uplands Entry Level Stewardship (UELS) went live on 1 July, the applications account for around 8,000 hectares of the Peak’s most celebrated upland landscapes. Natural England’s Peak District team is well on track towards meeting its year-end target of bringing 33,000ha of land into Uplands ELS by March 2011.
UELS, which supports hill farmers with payments of up to £62 per hectare, replaces the Hill Farm Allowance (HFA) which ended this year.
One farm manager, Robert Davis of A T Mower, Owlcotes Farm in Heath, Chesterfield, had been farming under Entry Level Stewardship for just over a year when he was contacted by Natural England and informed that part of his land would be eligible for UELS. Natural England Farm Adviser, Mark Taylor, visited Mr Davis to discuss which options would be best for his farm as well as how to apply for the new scheme online.
“I’m really pleased that we entered the scheme. The online application was a lot easier to fill out than I anticipated,” said Mr Davis. “I found that we didn’t need to change the way we were farming as we already carry out many of the options covered by the scheme. The payments are already providing a valuable additional income stream to support our farm business.” As part of his agreement Mr Davis chose maintenance of Derbyshire stone walls, removing winter livestock from grasslands and fencing to keep livestock away from woodland.
Meanwhile, Alison Furness applied for the scheme on behalf of her father Mr J.D. Taylor. Her father’s 67.5ha dairy farm, Old Hall Farm in Wormhill, Buxton has been under Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) for five years and after attending a Natural England UELS farm event in their local area, Mrs Furness decided to apply for the scheme.
“The new UELS scheme offers us options that were previously unavailable to dairy farmers,” said Mrs Furness. “My father and I selected options to suit our way of farming so we didn’t have to change what we were doing already.” Mrs Furness chose maintenance of stone walls, traditional farm buildings and cattle to graze on the farm’s grassland, in order to create a wide and varied habitat for various species to thrive.
Mark Taylor, Natural England Farm Adviser for the East Midlands, said: “I’m delighted that farmers like Mr Davis, whose hard work produces both great food and the uplands landscapes we all love, are supported in their efforts by Uplands ELS. Mr Davis’s story shows just how easy and worthwhile it can be to enter Uplands ELS, even for a small farm. We have advisers waiting to give hill farmers free advice and support with their applications, and we’d urge anyone interested in Uplands ELS to contact us.
“The initial level of applications for Uplands ELS is highly encouraging and we look forward to continuing to work closely with hill farmers to make sure they receive they all the support we can offer.”
Since Uplands ELS was launched in February this year, more than 3,500 farmers have requested information and at least 2,500 have attended farm events up and down the country.
More than 150 agents and advisers recently attended Natural England update sessions on the scheme and there is a wide range of advice available to farmers seeking to join the new scheme. This includes a new ‘Step by Step Guide to Uplands ELS’ available from Natural England’s website. For further information or to find out how to apply in your area call 0300 060 0011.
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Notes to editors:
For further information, please email Charlene Kumar, Natural England Communications Adviser, or call 0300 060 2828 or 07747761210.
The first Uplands ELS agreements began on 1 July. To date Natural England has received around 2,250 applications - covering 295,000 ha – more than half of which have already been processed into live agreements. Launched in February 2010,
Uplands ELS replaces the Hill Farm Allowance and rewards hill farmers who combine food production with caring for the environment. It provides a standard payment of £62 per hectare every year for 5 years with over 70 options to choose from, including grassland management and restoring farm structures such as barns and stone walls. Free one-to-one farm visits and a range of farm events are being undertaken by Natural England’s advisers to explain the scheme and support your application. Book a farm visit or event by ringing 0300 060 0011 or visit Natural England’s website for further information on the scheme.
| Standard application deadlines | Uplands ELS agreement start date |
|---|---|
| 1 August | 1 October |
| 1 September | 1 November |
| 1 October | 1 December |
Environmental Stewardship
Environmental Stewardship is a Government-funded scheme open to all farmers, which funds the delivery of environmental benefits through agriculture. The scheme aims to conserve wildlife, maintain and enhance our landscape quality and character, protect our natural resources, and promote public access to the countryside. The schemes are open to all land owners and have a variety of options to suit all farm types, sizes and locations.
Uplands Entry Level Stewardship
Uplands ELS is a new strand of Environmental Stewardship, launched in February 2010, to support hill farmers with payments for environmental management. It is open to all farmers with land in Severely Disadvantaged Areas (SDA), regardless of the size of your holding and including those farming organically.
About Natural England
Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.
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