Farming in Protected Landscapes programme extended until 2026

Farmers and land managers in England’s protected landscapes can now apply for funding from the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme until March 2026.
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Farmers and land managers in England’s protected landscapes can now apply for funding from the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme until March 2026.
Today, Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, announced new opportunities to apply for productivity grants in 2025. In this post, we give an overview.
To better reflect the contributions made by those with HLS agreements and to support the continued protection and management of these sites, we’re increasing HLS payment rates. We’re also encouraging those considering applying for a CSHT agreement to familiarise themselves with the process to prepare.
Following the temporary closure of the Capital Grants scheme in November 2024, we’re pleased to share that we’ve secured sufficient funding for Capital Grants for 2025/26. This means we can now process the 4,040 completed Capital Grants applications that were on hold.
Farmers, growers and land managers play a vital role in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and food security. Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) will help focus these efforts by setting out where and how to take action for nature. With 48 strategies covering the whole of England, there’s still time to shape your local plan. In this post, we'll give an overview and explain how to get involved.
Earlier this month, we hosted a webinar for farmers and land managers in England to learn more about Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) and the pre-application process. In this post, you’ll find a recording of the webinar and a summary of the information in the session, reflecting the questions put to the team.
Ahead of the improved Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme opening for applications, we’ve published the new scheme guidance on GOV.UK. In this post, we share a summary and a recording of a webinar held on 8 January.
As a result of unprecedented demand, some of the capital grant offers for farmers has temporarily closed to new applications. In this post, we summarise the changes to capital grants.
To help farmers, growers and land managers adopt different IPM approaches, we’ve published a new guidance page on GOV.UK. This post includes a link to the new guidance page and background on IPM.
Today, Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, announced that the government will advance work on supply chain fairness by using the fair dealing powers in the Agriculture Act 2020. In this post, we provide background and a summary of what you can expect.
Those who started an SFI application within 2 months of 11 March 2025 but did not submit it by that date will be given 6 weeks to complete an application, subject to specific restrictions, including a cap of £9,300 per year per agreement.
Read the full update from Food Security and Rural Affairs Minister Daniel Zeichner.
This blog is managed by Defra’s Farming and Countryside Programme.
On this blog, we explain the reforms to agricultural policy in England.
We share what we’re working on, what we’re learning and how you can get involved.
This week, we’ll be at:
NSA Sheep South West in East Knowstone Devon – 25 June
The Royal Norfolk Show in Norwich – 25–26 June
The CAAV Conference in Edinburgh – 27 June
Come and say hello to our team.
You can find us at these agricultural shows and conferences in 2025.
The Farming Advice Service (FAS) provide free, confidential advice to farmers and advisers.
Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) helps farmers in England protect water, air and soil. CSF advisers can provide advice on best practices and specific actions that will benefit your farm business and the environment.
We’ve compiled a list of organisations offering wellbeing support to those in the farming community.