Natural England - Entry Level Stewardship including Uplands ELS

Entry Level Stewardship including Uplands ELS

Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) including Uplands ELS is a voluntary, non-competitive scheme to encourage farmers across a wide area of farmland to deliver simple yet effective environmental management.

The scheme requires a basic level of environmental management and participants can choose from a wide range of more than 50 management options. These cover all farming types and include things such as hedgerow management, stone wall maintenance, low input grassland, buffer strips, and arable options.

How does ELS, including Uplands ELS, work?

Each year participants receive a payment of £30 per ha (except in extensively grazed upland areas) for all the land entered into the scheme. In return they will be required to deliver 30 points worth of options per ha of land in the scheme.

Five-year agreements are available, with monthly start dates and automatic payments sent out every six months. This straightforward application involves completing a Farm Environmental Record.

Natural England’s target is to provide an agreement within three months of receipt of a valid application.

Uplands ELS

Uplands ELS was launched in February 2010, with new agreements starting from 1 July 2010. For more information on Uplands ELS please see our leaflet Look after your uplands with Environmental Stewardship.  If you would like to attend one of our Uplands ELS events in your region, please see our Farm events page or call 0113 230 3753. 

A guidance note has been produced by the Tenancy Reform Industry Group (TRIG) considering issues for graziers, tenants and landlords arising from the introduction of Uplands ELS.

How to apply

To apply for an ELS agreement, including Uplands ELS, please contact your regional office. Or to apply online contact the ELS Online Team.

ELS application guidance documents

The following documents will help you with your application for agreements to start on or after 1 February 2010:

Existing agreements

If you have an existing agreement that started between October 2008 and December 2009 you should refer to:

Additional forms to download

If you have an existing agreement that started before October 2008 you should refer to:

Find out more

You can find out more about the scheme by attending one of our Farm events.

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