Guidance

Higher Tier manual for 1 January 2021 agreements: Countryside Stewardship

Scheme rules for holders of agreements that started on 1 January 2021

• From: Rural Payments Agency, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Forestry Commission and Natural England
• Published: 14 March 2016
• Last updated: 5 March 2021 — See all updates

Applies to England

Documents

Countryside Stewardship: Higher Tier manual for agreements starting on 1 January 2021

PDF, 15.6 MB, 183 pages

Higher Tier conversion guidance

HTML

Options, supplements and capital items 2020

PDF, 3.4 MB, 860 pages

Details

Use the manual to understand the rules and conditions that apply to Higher Tier agreements that started on 1 January 2021.

Use the options, supplements and capital items documents:

• to understand the rules for each option, supplement and capital item
• for advice on carrying out options, supplements and capital items

Use the Countryside Stewardship (CS) forms.

The manual has been designed with portrait and landscape pages. To make sure these print correctly, select ‘auto rotate’ in your printer settings before you print.

Published 14 March 2016
Last updated 5 March 2021 + show all updates

1. 5 March 2021

   Options added for 2020

2. 9 February 2021

   Higher Tier scheme rules for agreements starting on 1 January 2021 moved to the Agreement Holders' page.

3. 24 August 2020

   Removed How to apply guide as application window for 2020 is closed

4. 11 July 2020

   'Higher Tier manual: Countryside Stewardship' page updated to reflect the scheme deadline.

5. 23 April 2020

   V3 of Higher Tier manual added with change to wording on Pg 142, Annex 5, Section d) from • improving water quality in acid sensitive water catchments to improve resilience to climate change through continuous cover forestry

6. 18 March 2020

   Higher Tier overview leaflet added to the page.

7. 11 February 2020

   Publication of the Higher Tier manual for agreements starting on 1 January 2021, and How to request a Higher Tier application pack online.

8. 15 May 2019

   Information updated following application deadline.

9. 2 April 2019

   Update text to advise that the closing date for requesting an application pack was 31 March 2019.

10. 12 March 2019

    Higher Tier application form published

11. 18 February 2019

    Higher Tier applications for 2020 agreements opened on 18 February

12. 6 July 2018

    Options, supplements and capital items PDF updated to show option SW12 cannot be used on land already receiving funding for Ecological Focus Areas declared for Basic Payment Scheme.

13. 17 May 2018

    Section on 'Overlap of certain CS options with Ecological Focus Areas in 2019' added.

14. 14 April 2018

    Scheme now closed for applications.

15. 28 March 2018

    Higher Tier manual amended. The 6 changes are listed in revisions table on page 2.

16. 13 March 2018

    Deadline to request an application pack has passed. Removed form for requesting a pack.

17. 15 February 2018

    Application pack request form added.

18. 15 January 2018

    Higher Tier manual 2018 published with links to Offers for Wildlife.

19. 15 March 2017

    Quick guide to application process added.

20. 10 March 2017

    New versions of manual, options document and conversion guidance for 2017 application round.

21. 17 August 2016

    Added manual addendum about 'dual use' with the Basic Payment Scheme.

22. 26 May 2016

    Replaced Higher Tier options, supplements and items document. Minor change to text.

23. 6 April 2016

    Replaced the initial version of the Higher Tier options, supplements and capital items PDF with revised version.

24. 22 March 2016

    Added document for Higher Tier options, supplements and capital items.

25. 14 March 2016

    First published.