Policy paper

Ending your existing agreement to apply for a new scheme

Published 21 May 2024

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-and-higher-level-stewardship-agreement-holders-ending-your-existing-agreement-to-apply-for-a-new-scheme/ending-your-existing-agreement-to-apply-for-a-new-scheme

Apply for a new agreement alongside your existing agreement 

You can apply for an SFI agreement (when the expanded SFI offer opens), to run alongside your existing agreement, if: 

  • you and your land are eligible for each scheme  
  • the activities or outcomes you’re paid for are compatible 
  • you will not be paid twice for a similar activity or outcome on the same area of land at the same time (known as ‘double funding’) 

Read more about the expanded SFI offer. 

You may also be able to apply for a CS Higher Tier agreement when the scheme opens later this year. Read more about our plans for CS Higher Tier. We will publish more information about CS Higher Tier this summer. 

End your existing agreement early 

We may allow you to end your agreement early to move to SFI or CS Higher Tier. 

CS Mid Tier and HLS agreement holders 

If you have a CS Mid Tier or HLS agreement, from September you’ll be able to end your existing agreement early to apply for a SFI agreement. You may also be able to apply for a CS Higher Tier agreement this winter, with the first agreements starting from early 2025. You will not be able to end your existing agreement before September. 

You’ll be able to end your existing agreement either: 

  • at the end of your current agreement year and receive the full payment due for that year (subject to meeting the requirements of your agreement) 
  • before the end of your current agreement year, but not receive payment for the part of the current agreement year you’ve already completed 

You’ll be able to choose what land and actions you include in your new agreement, subject to meeting the eligibility rules of the scheme you’re applying for. There will not be any requirements for your new agreement to be the same as or similar to the agreement you’re ending. If you’re eligible to apply for CS Higher Tier actions, you may need specialist advice which you’ll normally get through Natural England or Forestry Commission.    

If your existing agreement includes a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) or Scheduled Monument (SM), you’ll need to keep managing that land in line with the SSSI or SM requirements. You may be able to apply for funding to manage this land through SFI or CS Higher Tier. 

We will publish more details this summer about applying to end your existing agreement early. 

CS Higher Tier agreement holders 

If you have a CS Higher Tier agreement, you’ll only be able to close your existing agreement early by exception.  

We will publish more details this summer about when you may be able to end your agreement early. 

Wait until your existing agreement ends 

You don’t need to end your agreement early. You can wait until it ends and then apply for SFI or CS Higher Tier. 

If you have a CS Mid Tier or Higher Tier agreement that ends on 31 December 2024, you’ll be able to apply for a SFI or CS Higher Tier agreement ahead of your agreement ending. We will publish information this summer about how to do this.

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