Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Sustainable Farming Incentive: Common Land
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact on the Malvern Hills Trust and other landscape managers of the decision to exclude common land from Sustainable Farming Incentive or Countryside Stewardship Scheme Higher Tier agreements in 2026.
Answered by Stephen Morgan
Defra understands the importance of Common land and recognises the importance of bringing them under these schemes. For technical reasons, commons groups will not be able to apply for SFI on common land when the application window opens later this month or apply for a CSHT agreement on common land at this stage. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is working on a solution to this issue, assessing how common land applications can be made in the schemes, and actively exploring both off and on system options for CSHT, testing feasibility. Once this assessment is complete, the RPA will communicate its planned approach, including any implications for SFI to stakeholders and potential agreement holders with common land.
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