More than quarter of a million hectares coming into Uplands ELS after 2,000 farmers sign up
26 July 2010
In Yorkshire, 500 farmers apply to bring in 66,000 ha of uplands into the new scheme.
Around 500 Yorkshire hill farmers have now applied for the new Uplands Entry Level Stewardship (Uplands ELS) scheme and will earn £26,800 on average over the five-year course of their agreement, according to Natural England’s figures.
Just three weeks after Uplands ELS went live on 1st July, it accounts for around 66,000 ha of Yorkshire’s most celebrated upland landscapes. Natural England’s Yorkshire and Humber team is well on track towards meeting its year-end target of bringing 134,000ha of land into Uplands ELS by March 2011.
Uplands ELS, which supports hill farmers with payments of up to £62 per hectare, replaces the Hill Farm Allowance (HFA) which ended this year.
Kerry Dyson works on her 57ha family beef farm near Huddersfield with her dad and brother and was previously in Hill Farm Allowance. After attending a Natural England farm advice event, Kerry entered their farm into Uplands ELS and will benefit from £17,900 over the next five years. As part of her agreement she chose options to protect and maintain the stone walls and set up post and wire fencing along a water course. These options will run alongside the standard scheme requirements for upland grassland and completion of a farm environment record map.
“We are already maintaining the stone walls so it made sense to enter these into the scheme. I found applying quite a simple process to do online and it measured field areas and wall lengths automatically. The online help and phone advisers were really great and went through any problems. I was also encouraged by only having to fill the form in once rather than every year.” said Kerry.
Peter Welsh, Natural England’s Area Manager said: “I’m delighted that farmers like Kerry, whose hard work produces both great food and the uplands landscapes we all love, are supported in their efforts by Uplands ELS. Kerry Dyson’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 nationally. In Yorkshire, at least 600 have attended farm events and 250 farmers have had an on farm visits from Natural England across the region.
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 the Natural England’s website
. For further information or to find out how to apply in your area call 0300 060 0011. On farm visits in Yorkshire can be arranged by calling 0300 060 1695
-ends-
Notes to editors
1. 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.
2. Just four weeks after Uplands ELS went live on 1 July the applications account for around 295,000 hectares of England’s most celebrated upland landscapes from the Lake District and Northumberland down to Dartmoor and Exmoor. Natural England is well on track towards meeting its year-end target of bringing 505,000 ha of land into Uplands ELS by March 2011.
3. 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 for further information on the scheme, visit the Natural England’s website.
| Standard application deadlines | Contact |
|---|---|
| 1 August | 1 October |
| 1 September | 1 Novemeber |
| 1 October | 1 December |
