He writes:
Since the EU Referendum vote I’ve been asked several times: 'Should I apply for Countryside Stewardship this year?' And in all honesty there is no simple answer to this question.
We know the Treasury is reviewing stewardship spending and, currently, no new contracts are being entered into. The NFU is putting pressure on government to give assurances for applicants. After all, if you are entering in to a new agreement you want to know if the funding is there for the full five years, not just until the point we leave Europe.
The government has not indicated when a decision will be made about future stewardship funding and this leaves applicants in a difficult position.
Do you wait for a government decision before you develop an application? That carries the risk that you might not have enough time to complete the application form. But if you develop your application before there is a decision you risk incurring costs only to find out that there is no funding available.
There is no right answer. Countryside Stewardship is the only scheme available to support the farmed environment. Outside of Stewardship you can voluntarily improve environmental delivery through the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE).
If you are serious about applying then you need to start the application process now. The deadline is 30 September. You need to give yourself time to understand the scheme and collect evidence, whilst harvesting at the same time.