The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust welcomes the government’s decision to extend its support for sustainable farming and nature recovery by offering farmers whose Countryside Stewardship agreements are due to expire a one-year extension.
The move by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will see £70m invested in the scheme and follows months of campaigning by the GWCT and other organisations.
It will ensure that more than 5,000 farmers, whose agreements were due to expire on 31 December, can remain in the Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier (CS MT) scheme while the next Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) proposal is being developed.
Confirming the decision on 15 October, Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle, said the government was committed to providing food security AND investing in nature-friendly farming and promised to increase funding for environmental land management schemes by 150% to £2bn by 2029.
Dr Alastair Leake, GWCT’s Director of Policy and the Allerton Project, and also on the Board of Natural England, welcomed the decision, saying:
“This provides breathing space, not just for farmers who had been facing an uncertain future and some touch decisions, had funding ended after Christmas, but also for nature as farmers now have a chance to avoid taking destructive measures simply to make ends meet.
“We are looking forward to a dialogue with new ministers on how we can make better use of environmental payments to deliver value for money, nature recovery and enthusiastic participation in this from the custodians of the countryside - our farmers - and re-connect people with nature.
“This decision directly affects the research work we carry out at The Allerton Project, our demonstration farm in Leicestershire, where the extension of the CS MT scheme will enable us to protect some long-established areas of habitat across the farm, giving us the opportunity to retain and manage them whilst we wait for the SFI scheme to re-open in 2026.
“When nature is well cared for it responds well; when it is not it is equally quickly lost.”
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Making the announcement, Dame Angela said: “We’re backing farmers with the largest investment in nature-friendly farming in history, underpinning our cast iron commitment to food security.
“This targeted extension to Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements ensures farmers have the certainty and support they need to continue to grow their businesses, get more British food on our plates, and help restore nature.”
The Countryside Stewardship – How it works
The CS gives farmers and land managers the opportunity to be paid for environmental work – such as planting wildflower margins that boost pollinators, cover crops to help feed wild birds throughout the winter, and managing hedgerows to create vital habitats for small mammals and birds – while also producing food sustainably and, an ideally profitably.
Agreements under the current CS MT scheme were due to expire on 31 December this year. However the new scheme designed to replace this – the SFI - closed without warning earlier this year due to oversubscription resulting in funding running out. This left thousands of farmers, whose ST schemes were coming to an end, without any funding options.
According to Defra, there are currently more than 77,000 live Agri-environment agreements – the highest number in history – and half (4.3m hectares) of all farmed land in England is actively managed in these schemes.
The government has not confirmed when an announcement on the updated SFI will be made, but previously said it would be in 2026.
Notes to editors
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust – providing research-led conservation for a thriving countryside. The GWCT is an independent wildlife conservation charity which has carried out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife since the 1930s. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ more than 60 post-doctoral scientists and other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies. The Trust also has a dedicated professional advisory service to make sure that the results of its research are easily available to farmers, landowners, gamekeepers, and others delivering practical conservation.
For information, contact:
Eleanor Williams
Telephone: 07592 025476
Email: ewilliams@gwct.org.uk