NFU's two cheers for environmental stewardship options

Four new environmental stewardship options are being introduced for farmers after successful lobbying by the NFU.

Lord Rooker launched the four additional options for environmental stewardship schemes during this year’s Royal Show.

But under current plans the new Entry Level Stewardship and Organic Entry Level Stewardship options will only be available to new applicants, while the Higher Level Stewardship scheme is available to all.

NFU Head of Policy Andrew Clark said: “We welcome the launch of these new options but it is not all good news. We feel it would be better if agreement holders could amend their agreement to incorporate these new options.

“The NFU will work further with Defra to review this approach so that it can be included in the new ‘England Rural Development Programme’ in January 2007. Under the existing scheme farmers are allowed to make one amend during the five years of their agreement and we will be pressing for this to happen.”