Rolling out Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier
This post outlines our plans to expand CSHT to more farmers and land managers in England.
This post outlines our plans to expand CSHT to more farmers and land managers in England.
Capital Grants help farmers, land managers and rural businesses make practical improvements that benefit the environment across England. The offer is set to open in late July 2026. We're encouraging those who wish to apply to gather and submit the required evidence as early as possible.
We can confirm that around 25% of the Window 1 budget for SFI26 has now been allocated, based on applications received so far.
Guidance for the 2026 Capital Grants offer is now available on GOV.UK. Capital Grants help farmers and land managers pay for environmental improvements that support food production, improve water and air quality, support nature, and help farms become more resilient.
On 19 May, we’re hosting a webinar for those interested in becoming delivery partners for the Farmer Collaboration Fund.
We’re offering a one-year extension to more than 5,000 farmers whose Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier (CS MT) agreements are set to expire on 31 December this year.
Alan Laidlaw has been appointed as England’s first Commissioner for the Tenant Farming Sector. In this guest post, he shares his background, his ambitions for the role, and how he plans to work with the sector to strengthen relationships and collaboration between tenant farmers, landlords, and advisers.
In September, the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) service will open for applications to those who have been invited to apply, have received pre-application advice and have completed any preparatory work.
Following the Spending Review, Defra has secured a multi-year funding commitment from HM Treasury. More than £2.7 billion a year will be invested in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026 to 2029. Funding for the Environmental Land Management Schemes paid to farmers will increase by 150% over this time period.
We've launched a call for evidence to better understand how we can support and incentivise business to invest in nature recovery.