Menu

Know How / Environmental schemes

Each of the UK’s devolved administrations has its own agri-environment scheme – for example, the Countryside Stewardship Scheme in England and the Agri-environment Climate Scheme in Scotland.

Find out what’s involved in signing up to a ‘green scheme’ and get practical tips on putting together your application.

Advice and tips

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Advice on preparing early for new grant funding applications

A new round of standalone Countryside Stewardship (CS) Capital Grants 2025-26 will open this summer worth £45m and funding a significant proportion of the cost of a wide range of…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

A guide to staying SFI compliant

Unlike more rigid support schemes of the past, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is all about giving farmers greater flexibility to make actions work for their farm, while simultaneously delivering…

ARABLE

Tips on achieving healthy hedgerows on farm

Hedges are a defining feature of our countryside and one of the best habitats for wildlife on any farm.  Far more than being a boundary, they also support farm business…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

Nutrient mitigation market merits careful consideration

Headlines about housebuilding being held up by environmental measures have abated to some extent, but the need to ensure that new development does not increase the nitrogen and phosphate loading…

See all

Case studies

ARABLE

How an award-winning arable farm combines business and nature

Bedingham Hall Farm near Bungay is maximising its environmental conservation, while remaining committed to profitable food production. It has done this by making full use of the natural features available…

OTHER CROPS

How Cornish mixed farm gains from regen stacking

Cornish farmer David Oates is set to see more money coming in from stacking regenerative actions on his mixed family farm than from the old Basic Payment Scheme subsidy. He…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How Wilts estate's 'practical regen' approach supports yields

Covering 1,800ha within the Cranbourne Chase National Landscape, a family-owned estate is aiming to increase biodiversity without compromising yields or profits. The productive chalk downland farm is home to various…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why one Essex arable farm faces difficult decisions in 2025

Essex farmer Tom Streeter admits that he and his brother Will have some difficult decisions to make about the future of the family farming business, having looked at the details…

See all

Insights

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

New £150m capital grant scheme – act quickly to secure funds

The sudden removal of capital grants last autumn for farmers in England – without the promised six-weeks’ notice –  was just one of a number of shocks farmers have had…

FARM POLICY

How the Ffermio Bro agri-environment scheme is bedding in

The Welsh government’s agri-environmental scheme for its designated landscapes and national parks – called Ffermio Bro – has started in earnest since its launch in April. Aiming to encourage nature-friendly…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

How private cash is funding environmental measures

A system to pay for nature-based measures to address shared challenges along the supply chain is benefiting both funders and farmers in a wide range of landscapes. Landscape Enterprise Networks…

ARABLE

Getting the most from on-farm ponds for wildlife

Often one of the most neglected on-farm habitats, ponds can really have an impact on wildlife considering the small area they occupy. Providing they remain unpolluted, ponds are refuges for…

See all

News

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

Deadline looms to submit SFI 2024 applications

Farmers in England who still wish to claim support under the 2024 Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) have until Monday 18 August to submit their applications. The 2024 SFI, which pays…

NEWS

Defra funding gap threatens vital farmland habitats

Vital wildflower habitats and biodiversity areas on English farms are being ploughed up as Defra’s Countryside Stewardship (CS) scheme funding comes to an end for many farmers this December –…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

South East Water exceeds land management targets

South East Water has exceeded its five-year targets for improving raw water quality by working in partnership with farmers and landowners across priority catchment areas in the South East of…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

Defra to introduce SFI actions to improve water quality

New actions linked to improving water quality will be made available for farm businesses through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) next year, Defra has revealed. The expected reforms to SFI…

See all