Updates and Changes in UK Environmental Schemes for 2024

The year 2024 marks a significant period of transition for the UK's environmental schemes. With the continued evolution of policies and programs like Environmental Land Management (ELM), Countryside Stewardship (CS), and the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), the government has introduced several updates to improve the effectiveness and accessibility of these initiatives. These changes reflect the UK’s commitment to promoting sustainable land use, enhancing biodiversity, and achieving net-zero carbon emissions. This article will outline the key updates and changes to these schemes in 2024 and what they mean for landowners, farmers, and estate managers.

Overview of the 2024 Agricultural Transition

The agricultural transition in 2024 is a crucial phase in the UK's shift away from the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to a more tailored, outcome-focused system. The government’s latest updates aim to make environmental schemes more attractive, flexible, and rewarding for land managers, ensuring that food production can coexist with environmental conservation.

Key priorities for 2024 include:

• Increasing Payment Rates: An average increase of 10% for SFI and CS agreements to better reflect market conditions and encourage participation​.
• Expanding Actions and Options: Introducing up to 50 new actions across environmental land management schemes, including precision farming and agroforestry, to offer more tailored options for farmers and land managers​.
• Simplifying Access and Applications: Creating a streamlined single application service for SFI and CS Mid-Tier to make it easier for farmers to apply for and combine different actions​.

Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Updates

The SFI continues to evolve, providing more flexible and accessible options for farmers to adopt sustainable practices. The 2024 updates focus on expanding the range of actions and increasing payment rates to ensure that the scheme remains attractive and relevant.

Key Changes in SFI for 2024:

• Expanded Actions: The introduction of new actions includes precision farming, which allows farmers to use technology to target farming activities, reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Agroforestry actions have also been enhanced, offering support for integrating trees into productive farmland​.
• Increased Payment Rates: Payment rates have been increased by an average of 10% to better reflect the costs of implementing sustainable practices. For example, maintaining high-density agroforestry can now earn up to £849 per hectare per year​.
• Shorter Agreements: To provide greater flexibility, more actions are available for shorter three-year agreements, which is particularly beneficial for tenant farmers​.

Countryside Stewardship (CS) Updates

Countryside Stewardship (CS) remains a key component of the UK's environmental policy, offering financial incentives for a range of activities that enhance biodiversity, improve water and air quality, and promote sustainable land management.

Key Changes in CS for 2024:

• Higher Payment Rates: Similar to the SFI, CS agreements will see an average payment rate increase of 10%. This includes a significant rise in payments for actions like maintaining species-rich grassland, which will increase from £182 to £646 per hectare​.
• New Actions and Flexibility: The introduction of new actions allows farmers to access funding for agroforestry, precision farming, and more. These updates include ‘maintenance’ actions that reward farmers who are already protecting the environment, such as maintaining grasslands and wetlands​.
• Single Application Service: From summer 2024, there will be a streamlined single application service for SFI and CS Mid-Tier actions, simplifying the process and allowing for easier integration of different schemes on the same land parcels​.

Environmental Land Management (ELM) Framework Updates

The ELM framework is central to the UK's approach to sustainable land management, encompassing the SFI, Local Nature Recovery, and Landscape Recovery. The 2024 updates aim to enhance the framework’s effectiveness and encourage more ambitious environmental actions.

Key Changes in ELM for 2024:

• Integrated Scheme Access: The streamlined single application service for SFI and CS makes it easier for farmers to select from a range of actions and combine compatible actions from both schemes, reducing duplication and administrative burdens​.
• Premium Payments for High Ambition: ELM will introduce premium payment rates for actions with the most significant environmental impact and for combinations of actions that deliver benefits at scale. For example, creating lowland heathland now comes with a premium payment rate of £711 per hectare​.
• Transition of Woodland Creation Offer: The England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) will transition to become part of the ELM schemes, providing a simpler, unified service for woodland creation​.

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and Its Integration

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is becoming increasingly important in the planning and development process, requiring measurable improvements to biodiversity in all new developments. The 2024 updates ensure that BNG is more effectively integrated with other environmental schemes.

Key Changes in BNG for 2024:

• Alignment with ELM: The integration of BNG within the ELM framework ensures that landowners and developers can better align their biodiversity enhancement efforts with other environmental objectives.
• New Opportunities for Landowners: By creating or enhancing habitats on their land, landowners can provide BNG credits to developers, offering a potential new income stream. These credits can range from several thousand to tens of thousands of pounds per hectare, depending on the type of habitat and demand​.

Woodland Creation and Carbon Sequestration Updates

Woodland creation and carbon sequestration are key strategies in the UK's effort to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. The updates in 2024 provide enhanced support for landowners interested in these activities.

Key Changes for Woodland Creation and Carbon Sequestration:

• Woodland Carbon Guarantee (WCaG) Enhancements: The Woodland Carbon Guarantee continues to offer a guaranteed price for carbon units, with payments now reflecting market conditions more accurately. The WCaG ensures a stable income stream for landowners who invest in woodland creation​.
• EWCO Transition: The England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) will transition into the ELM schemes, offering funding for woodland creation and maintenance with simplified access and integration​.

Additional Grants and Support Programs

2024 also brings updates to additional grants and support programs that complement the primary environmental schemes, providing more comprehensive support for landowners and farmers.

Key Changes in Additional Grants:

• New Capital Items: The introduction of new capital items in schemes like CS provides more options for landowners to improve boundaries, trees, and orchards, enhancing both environmental and landscape value.
• Enhanced Support for Innovation: The ELM framework continues to encourage innovation by awarding contracts for crop innovation and precision farming technology, promoting practices that can reduce inputs and enhance sustainability​.

Conclusion

The updates and changes in the UK’s environmental schemes for 2024 reflect a commitment to making sustainable land management more accessible, rewarding, and impactful. By increasing payment rates, expanding the range of actions, and simplifying access through a unified application process, the government aims to encourage more landowners and farmers to participate in these schemes. These changes not only provide new opportunities for environmental enhancement but also offer financial incentives that make sustainable practices more viable.

For landowners and farmers, staying informed about these updates is crucial for maximizing the benefits of these schemes. Whether you are looking to enhance biodiversity, improve soil health, or contribute to carbon sequestration, the 2024 changes offer new possibilities and support for achieving your environmental and land management goals.

‍