Guidance

Countryside Stewardship: Upland Offer overview

Published 14 May 2021

Applies to England

What is the Upland Offer?

The Upland Offer is a package of selected Countryside Stewardship (CS) Mid Tier options. It’s designed to help farmers and landowners choose different ways to improve management of meadows and rough grazing that will help birds and other wildlife to thrive.

It’s quick and easy to apply:

• use the Rural Payments service to apply online
• the Upland Offer is non-competitive

What are the benefits?

CS Upland Offer options provide:

• a range of options so you can choose those most relevant to your farm business and local priorities
• improved management of species- rich hay meadows providing nectar sources for insect pollinators
• improved management of rough grazing to provide nesting and foraging structure for birds
• improved habitats and other resources for specific species or areas.

The Upland Offer helps a farm business provide for the needs of farmland birds; helps pollinators to carry out their essential services of pollinating flowers and crops; it also helps to protect water courses. By selecting the Upland Offer you will be building on the positive environmental work that many farm businesses have already undertaken, including protection of soil and water from high nutrient inputs. In return, you’ll receive an annual payment for 5 years. The amount you receive depends on the options you choose.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible:

• you must be registered in the Rural Payments service
• your land must be registered in the Rural Payments service and linked to your Single Business Identifier (SBI) before you start your application
• your land must be permanent grassland
• all your land in the application must be within the Severely Disadvantaged Area (SDA)
• you may select as many options as you wish and there is no minimum or maximum area
• you must have full management control of the land for 5 years.

You will not be eligible to apply for the Upland Offer using an SBI which has land:

• in an Environmental Stewardship agreement that ends after 1 January 2022
• that is subject to an Inheritance Tax exemption agreement with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
• with a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

If you or the land linked to your SBI are not eligible for the Upland Offer, or you want to do more than the options available such as capital works, management of organics, wetlands or other habitats, then you are advised to apply for CS Mid Tier or CS Higher Tier.

Dates for your diary

• Applications open in the Rural Payments service from 9 February 2021.
• Deadline to request a paper application pack by email or phone is 28 May 2021.
• Last date to request approval for management options for priority habitats and species is 31 May 2021.
• Deadline to request an application pack online in the Rural Payments service is 30 June 2021.
• Application deadline is 30 July 2021.

Which options do I choose?

You can complete an application with as few as 3 options and/or supplements - either 1 base option and 2 supplements; or 2 base options and 1 supplement; or 3 base options.

You can then choose as many options and supplements as you wish. The more you choose, the higher the total payment you will receive and the better for wildlife.

All options are paid on every hectare used, unless shown differently.

Important: check that your land is eligible, for more information go to: www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants

Base options

Option	Option title	Payment rate per hectare (ha), per year
BE3	Management of hedgerows	£8/100m
GS5	Permanent grassland with very low inputs in SDAs	£16
HS1	Maintenance of weatherproof traditional farm buildings	£3.25/m²
HS5	Management of historic and archaeological features on grassland	£30
HS8	Maintenance of weatherproof traditional farm buildings in remote areas	£6.73/m²
SW2	4m - 6m buffer strip on intensive grassland	£170
UP1	Enclosed rough grazing	£39
UP2	Management of rough grazing for birds	£88
WD7	Management of successional areas and scrub	£74

Supplements

Option	Option title	Payment rate per hectare (ha), per year
GS15	Haymaking supplement	£85
GS16	Rush control supplement	£73
GS17	Lenient grazing supplement	£44
SP6	Cattle grazing supplement	£45

Useful Information

Read the Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier and Wildlife Offers manual, available on GOV.UK, before you start your application.

The Wildlife Offers are:

• quick and easy
• non-competitive
• options that support local wildlife

How can I apply?

Apply online signing in using the link on the Rural Payments Agency page on GOV.UK. Search for Make or update a rural payments claim on GOV.UK

If you cannot apply online, call 03000 200 301 to discuss your options before 28 May 2021.

For more information search for ‘Wildlife Offers’ on GOV.UK

1. Choose your offer
2. Create an application online
3. Choose the land you want to include
4. Choose your options
5. Check you have completed your application including the declaration and submit
6. Gather any evidence and complete your Farm Environment Record (FER)

Make sure you read the Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier and Wildlife Offers manual (especially Chapters 5,6 and 7 and Annex 1).

More information

What other Wildlife Offers are available?

The Wildlife Offers have been designed to help you choose the right options for your farm, and make it easier and simpler to apply for a Countryside Stewardship agreement. There are 3 other Wildlife Offers:

• Arable Offer
• Lowland Grazing Offer
• Mixed Farming Offer

For more information, search for ‘Wildlife Offers’ on GOV.UK.

What else is available under Countryside Stewardship?

There are 3 main parts to the Countryside Stewardship scheme. These are:

• Mid Tier
• Higher Tier
• Capital only grants and include woodland support and water capital.

For more information, search for ‘Countryside Stewardship’ at GOV.UK.

Which options are best for your farm?

There are many different options available to help you improve the natural environment on your farm. To help find the right option for you use the ‘Countryside Stewardship: grants’ information on GOV.UK. Search for ‘Countryside Stewardship grants’ at www.gov.uk.

For more information search for ‘Wildlife Offers’ on GOV.UK