Policy paper

Annex A: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier actions 

Published 21 May 2024

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

This policy paper was withdrawn on 11 December 2024

The information on this page is now out of date and has been withdrawn. Please read Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier: get ready to apply for the current information.

Applies to England

Annex A: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier actions 

The tables below set out the actions that you can only apply for through CS Higher Tier. These actions are not available in Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).  

Table 1: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Grassland (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Manage grassland for target habitats, species or features	Updated CS (GS13 and GS14)	5 years	£528 per hectare (ha)	Grassland or land in the process of becoming grassland is managed to support target habitats and species including target species such as fungi, bats, insects, birds or rare plants
Supplement: Shepherding	Updated CS (SP5)	Same as base action	£10 per ha	Shepherding or herding activities are undertaken to manage overgrazing and improve the quality of vegetation
Supplement: Introduction of cattle grazing on the Isles of Scilly	Existing CS (SP7)	Same as base action	£279 per ha	Cattle grazing is introduced on land on the Isles of Scilly that is not currently grazed by cattle
Supplement: Difficult sites	Existing CS (SP1)	Same as base action	£93 per ha	Locally characteristic boundaries are kept and, where required, grazing is reintroduced

Table 2: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Species recovery and management (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Invasive plant species control and management – lower rate	Updated CS (SP4)	5 years	£140 per ha	Invasive non-native plant species which are harmful to the environment are controlled
Invasive plant species control and management – middle rate	Updated CS (SP4)	5 years	£230 per ha	Invasive non-native plant species which are harmful to the environment are controlled
Invasive plant species control and management – higher rate	Updated CS (SP4)	5 years	£380 per ha	Invasive non-native plant species which are harmful to the environment are controlled
Deer control and management	Updated CS (WS1)	10 years	£105 per ha	Control native or non-native deer where they are having a negative impact on priority species and habitats such as native woodlands
Grey squirrel control and management	Updated CS (WS3)	10 years	£60 per ha	Control the population of invasive non-native grey squirrels where they are causing significant damage to woodlands and trees and have a negative impact on our native wildlife, in particular red squirrels.
Mink control and management	New	10 years	£99 per 100m	Control the population of invasive non-native American mink where there is evidence, of predation of a species such as ground nesting birds, domestic wildfowl, amphibians and fish
Edible dormouse control and management	New	10 years	£40 per ha	Control the population of invasive edible dormice that cause damage to trees and orchards by stripping bark, compete with hole-nesting birds for nest sites, and prey on eggs and nesting birds.
Supplement: Bracken control	Existing CS (SP3)	Same as base action	£232 per ha	Control the spread of existing dense stands of bracken, or the stands are removed, to allow underlying vegetation to develop and spread
Supplement: Rhododendron control and management	New	Same as base action	£256 per ha	Rhododendron is controlled by removing it or stopping it from spreading or re-establishing
Supplement: Threatened species	Updated CS (SP9)	Same as base action	£204 per ha	Habitats for priority species are created and maintained, so that these species can flourish, and their population increases

Table 3: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Moorland and upland peat (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
General moorland management	Updated CS (UP3)	5 years	£55 per ha	You follow best practice guidelines for moorlands – this is a base action for certain supplements
Supplement: Manage non-peat moorland soils for flood and drought resilience	New	Same as base action	£160 per ha	Activities are carried out to slow the flow of surface runoff from rainfall events and enable more water to be retained in the catchment
Supplement: Maintain features for wildfire management (fire and fuel breaks)	New	Same as base action	£137 per ha	Fire and fuel breaks are maintained to disrupt the movement of wildfires across habitats
Supplement: Administration of group managed agreements	Existing CS (SP10)	Same as agreement duration	£7 per ha	There are well-administered group agreements for common land or shared grazing with 2 or more legal interests

Table 4: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Lowland peat (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Raise water levels in cropped or arable peat soils to near the land surface	Updated CS (SW17)	10 years	£1,409 per ha	The water level on cropped or arable land with lowland peat soils is raised to between 10cm to 30cm below the field surface and maintained throughout the year
Raise water levels in cropped or arable peat soils	New	10 years	£892 per ha	The water level on cropped or arable land with lowland peat soils is raised to between 31cm to 50cm below the field surface and maintained throughout the year
Raise water levels in permanent grassland peat soils to near the land surface	Updated CS (SW18)	10 years	£1,381 per ha	The water level on permanent grassland peat soils is raised to between 10cm to 30cm below the field surface and maintained throughout the year
Raise water levels in permanent grassland peat soils	New	10 years	£840 per ha	The water level on permanent grassland peat soils is raised to between 31cm to 50cm below the field surface and maintained throughout the year

Table 5: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Lowland heathland (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Manage lowland heathland	Updated CS (LH1)	10 years	£412 per ha	Existing lowland heathland is managed, so there is a diverse mosaic of vegetation, including undisturbed bare ground and varied vegetation and scattered trees of different ages
Restore lowland heathland	Updated CS (LH2)	10 years	£311 per ha	Lowland heathland is restored on forested land or woodland so there is a diverse mosaic of vegetation, including undisturbed bare ground and varied vegetation and scattered trees of different ages
Create lowland heathland	Updated CS (LH3)	10 years	£711 per ha	Lowland heathland is created on arable or grassland sites resulting in a diverse mosaic of vegetation, including undisturbed bare ground and varied vegetation and scattered trees of different ages

Table 6: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Trees and Woodland (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Woodland creation maintenance	Existing CS (WD1)	15 years	£400 per ha	Woodland created under a Woodland Creation Grant agreement is maintained
Woodland improvement	Updated CS (WD2)	10 years	£127 per ha	Woodland is brought into sustainable management in line with the UK Forestry Standard
Supplement to Woodland improvement action: Manage and restore Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS)	Updated CS (WS2)	Same as base action	£275 per ha	Restore and manage plantations on ancient woodland
Supplement to Woodland improvement action: Manage native woodland including ancient semi-natural woodlands (ASNW)	New	Same as base action	£144 per ha	Support the management of native woodland and ancient and semi-natural woodlands
Supplement to Woodland improvement action: Improve woodland resilience	New	Same as base action	£202 per ha	The mixture of tree species, age and structural diversity in woodlands is increased through changes to management activities
Supplement to Woodland improvement action: Manage woodlands for flood and drought mitigation	New	Same as base action	£56 per ha	Woodland is managed to retain water onsite through enhanced soil infiltration and within water features
Supplement to Woodland improvement action: Manage historic features in woodlands	New	Same as base action	£943 per ha	Historic features within woodlands are managed, especially scheduled monuments
Supplement to Woodland improvement action: 2-zone rides	New	Same as base action	£60 per ha	2-zone rides within woodlands are managed to maintain a diverse ride structure and provide habitat corridors for wildlife
Supplement to Woodland improvement action: 3-zone rides	New	Same as base action	£197 per ha	3-zone rides within woodlands are managed to maintain a diverse ride structure and provide habitat corridors for wildlife
Supplement to Woodland improvement action: Maintain features for wildfire management (fire belts)	New	Same as base action	£861 per ha	Fire belts are maintained to disrupt the movement of wildfires across habitats
Veteran tree surgery	Existing CS (BE6)	5 years	£488 per tree	Specialist tree surgery is carried out to extend the lifespan of veteran trees

Table 7: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Wood pasture (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Create wood pasture	Updated CS (WD6 and WD12)	10 years	£544 per ha	Wood pasture is created
Restore wood pasture and parkland	Updated CS (WD5 and WD11)	10 years	£371 per ha	Existing wood pasture and parkland is restored on sites that support mature and veteran trees and designed parkland features, such as tree avenues

Table 8: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Orchards (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Create traditional orchards	Updated CS (BE5)	10 years	£471 per ha	A traditional orchard is created with healthy young trees and any existing mature trees are managed

Table 9: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Agroforestry (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Maintain high density in-field agroforestry	New	10 years	£849 per ha	An in-field agroforestry system is maintained, so there’s a combination of either trees and arable or horticultural crops, or trees and grassland for forage and livestock
Maintain medium density in-field agroforestry	New	10 years	£595 per ha	An in-field agroforestry system is maintained, so there’s a combination of either trees and arable or horticultural crops, or trees and grassland for forage and livestock
Maintain low density in-field agroforestry on more sensitive land	New	10 years	£385 per ha	An in-field agroforestry system is maintained, so there’s a combination of either trees and arable or horticultural crops, or trees and grassland for forage and livestock
Maintain very low density in-field agroforestry on more sensitive land	New	10 years	£248 per ha	An in-field agroforestry system is maintained, so there’s a combination of either trees and arable or horticultural crops, or trees and grassland for forage and livestock

Table 10: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Waterbodies (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Manage grassland for flood and drought resilience and water quality	New	10 years	£938 per ha	Grassland is managed to reduce runoff from rainwater, and store more surface and groundwater through changes such as creating topographical features that will retain water after periods of high rainfall
Manage features on arable land for flood and drought resilience and water quality	New	5 years	£1,241 per ha	Features on arable land, such as sediment traps, bunds, swales and the area surrounding them, are managed to reduce runoff from rainwater and store more surface and groundwater
Flood mitigation on arable reversion to grassland	Updated CS (SW15)	5 years	£740 per ha	There is dense grass sward connected to a watercourse to store water from streams and rivers during flood events, and allow flood water to spread across a floodplain and naturally subside
Flood mitigation on permanent grassland	Updated CS (SW16)	5 years	£330 per ha	There is a dense grass sward to store water from streams and rivers during flood events, and allow flood water to spread across a floodplain and naturally subside
Supplement: Enhanced floodplain storage	New	Same as base action	£366 per ha	Floodwater storage within floodplains is increased so that they hold more water for longer by managing features such as swales (channels) and temporary ponds or depressions
Connect river and floodplain habitats	New	10 years	£1,242 per ha	River habitats are restored to create a mosaic of wetland habitats to connect the river and floodplain
Make room for the river to move	Updated CS (SW12)	20 years	£1,489 per ha	New and changing areas of river and wet floodplain habitats are restored and created, with water allowed to flood seasonally from and drain back into the river, so the risk of downstream flooding is reduced
Manage riparian and water edge habitats	New	10 years	£1,186 per ha	There is a 12-24m wide area of water-dependent habitat between the land and the water’s edge of rivers and streams (riparian habitats) and lakes and ponds
Manage lakes and bodies of water greater than 2ha	New	10 years	£109-£135 per ha	Lakes or other bodies of water larger than 2ha are managed, so they are in a good condition by the end of the 10-year period
Manage ponds and bodies of water up to 2ha	Updated CS (WT4 and WT5)	5 years	£424 per pond	Permanent or temporary ponds or other bodies of water up to 2ha that have a high wildlife or historic value are managed

Table 11: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Buffer or habitat strips next to waterbodies and features (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
6m to 24m 3-dimensional (3D) waterbody buffer strip	New	5 years	£1,182 per ha	There is a 6m to 24m wide buffer with raised ridges covered in vegetation next to a waterbody or field boundary

Table 12: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Wetland habitats (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Manage lowland raised bog	Existing CS (WT10)	5 years	£215 per ha	Priority lowland raised bog habitat is managed so it is kept wet enough for peat to form, with characteristic bog vegetation and reduced cover of invasive bracken, scrub or non-native species
Create reedbed, fen or wetland mosaics	Updated CS (WT7 and WT9)	10 years	£1,605 per ha	New reedbed, fen or wetland habitat mosaic (including areas of reedbed, fen, mires and flushes) is created on land that currently has lower wildlife value
Manage and restore reedbed, fen and wetland mosaics	Updated CS (WT6 and WT8)	10 years	£920 per ha	Reedbed, fen or wetland mosaic habitat (including areas of reedbed, fen, mires and flushes) is restored and managed
Supplement: Rewetting	Updated CS (SP2)	Same as base action	£181 per ha	Land is rewetted or existing land is kept wet
Supplement: Wetland cutting	Existing CS (WT11)	Same as base action	£1,346 per ha	Wetland habitats are managed by appropriate cutting
Supplement: Wetland grazing	Existing CS (WT12)	Same as base action	£566 per ha	Wetland habitats are managed by appropriate grazing

Table 13: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Coastal habitats (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Make space for new coastal habitat	Updated CS (CT2)	20 years	£773 per ha	Natural coastal processes are restored to create and maintain long-term coastal habitat on land next to existing priority coastal habitat (including sand dunes, vegetated shingle and maritime cliffs and slopes)
Manage and restore maritime cliffs and slopes	New	5 years	£791 per ha	Maritime cliff and slope habitat is restored and kept in good condition through appropriate management and allowing natural processes to function
Manage coastal saltmarsh	Updated CS (CT3)	5 years	£724 per ha	Coastal saltmarsh is maintained in good condition and saltmarsh which is in unfavourable condition is restored through vegetation management
Create intertidal and saline habitat on arable land	Updated CS (CT4)	20 years	£812 per ha	Intertidal and saline habitats and small-scale saline lagoons are created on arable land, including the transition area between saltmarsh and neighbouring habitats
Create intertidal and saline habitat on intensive grassland	Updated CS (CT7)	20 years	£494 per ha	Intertidal and saline habitats and small-scale saline lagoons are created on intensive grassland, including the transition area between saltmarsh and neighbouring habitats
Create intertidal and saline habitat by non-intervention	Updated CS (CT5)	20 years	£494 per ha	Intertidal and saline habitats and small-scale saline lagoons are naturally created following the unmanaged breach or overtopping of flood defences, such as sea walls or embankments

Table 14: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Permissive access (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Open access	New	5 years	£92 per ha	Provide and maintain permissive open access to the public on areas of land
Footpath access	New	5 years	£77 per 100m	Provide and maintain new permissive footpaths to the public
Bridleway or cycle path access	New	5 years	£158 per 100m	Provide and maintain new permissive bridleways or cycles paths
Access for people with reduced mobility	New	5 years	£221 per 100m	Provide and maintain new permissive access for people with reduced mobility
Upgrading Countryside and Rights of Way for cyclists and horse riders	New	5 years	£158 per 100m	Provide and maintain access alongside existing rights of way for cyclists and horse riders
Upgrading Countryside and Rights of Way for people with reduced mobility	New	5 years	£221 per 100m	Provide and maintain access alongside existing rights of way for people with reduced mobility

Table 15: Actions that will be in CS Higher Tier for Heritage (these are not available in SFI)

Action	Action type	Duration	Annual payment	Action’s aim
Manage historic water meadows through traditional irrigation	Existing CS (HS7)	5 years	£863 per ha	There is a well-managed grass sward and a working water meadow system with structurally sound water control features