Making Environmental Stewardship more effective
10 August 2012
From 1st January 2013, five new Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) and Organic ELS options will be available to Environmental Stewardship customers.
The new options are being introduced as part of a wider suite of changes designed to improve the environmental outcomes and value for money the schemes deliver.
The changes are being implemented in response to Defra Ministers’ wish to ensure ELS delivers more and better environmental outcomes. The project is led by Defra and involves Natural England and stakeholders including NFU, CLA, CAAV, RSPB and TFA.
The five new (O)ELS options
| Code | Option title | Aims of the new option | A priority for... | Points available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB14
OB14 | Hedgerow restoration This has been extended from the Uplands ELS strands to ELS and OELS. | To improve the condition of hedgerows and encourage management under long term laying / coppicing. |     (bats & dormice) | 10 per m |
| EE12
OE12 | Supplement to add wildflowers to buffer strips and field corners | Create more food sources for invertebrates and birds and a greater diversity and structure of vegetation. | (butterflies, bees and vulnerable grassland) | 63 per ha |
| EK20
OK20 | Ryegrass seed-set as winter/spring food for birds | Provide food resource for birds through the winter and February ‘hungry gap’, and increase populations of invertebrates and small mammals. |  (butterflies, bees and vulnerable grassland) | 80 per ha |
| EK21
OK21 | Legume and herb rich swards | Create habitat and food for invertebrates, including pollinators. Improve soil structure and mitigate climate change. Provide high quality forage for livestock. |  (butterflies, bees and vulnerable grassland) | 200 per ha |
| EF23
OF23 | Supplementary feeding in winter for farmland birds | To help farmland birds both survive through the ‘hungry gap’ and enter the breeding season in much improved condition. | | 630 per tonne |
Key
Farmland birds
Farm wildlife
Climate change adaptation
Climate change mitigation
Resource protection – soil quality
Landscape
Resource protection – water quality
Icons developed as part of the Integrated Advice Pilot Study, Defra 2012
The new options will deliver specific environmental benefits, that recent research and monitoring has identified as being poorly delivered by the current suite of (O)ELS options.
Natural England’s Senior Ornithology Specialist, Phil Grice, says, “Studies have shown that fields managed as Ryegrass Seed-Set [EK20/OK20] can become a haven for birds such as yellowhammers and reed buntings during the winter and early spring. Under this option, the last silage cut is not taken, so rye grass seed is available during the ‘hungry gap’. Also, as this option is retained longer than stubble options, it means that seed is available for a longer period”.
Applicants should aim for a minimum of 2 ha per 100 ha on their farm, although this can be less if they are also selecting stubble or wild bird seed mixture options.
Similarly, Supplementary Feeding in Winter for Farmland Birds (EF23/OF23), will plug the late winter-early spring ‘hungry gap’ experienced by seed-eating farmland birds.
This option is only available in conjunction with Wild Bird Seed Mixture (EF2/OF2) or Extended Overwinter Stubble (EF22). A maximum of 1t supplementary feed mixture should be used per 2ha wild bird seed mix or 5ha stubbles in the agreement.
Legume and Herb Rich Swards (EK21/OK21), will provide a better habitat for invertebrates than EK2/OK2 or EK3/OK3 (Low and Very Low Input Grasslands, respectively) by improving the structure and diversity of vegetation, and thus providing a wider variety of niches and food resources such as nectar. This, in turn, will benefit animals that feed on invertebrates.
The new options will be available for new or renewed ELS, OELS and combined (O)ELS- HLS (Higher Level Stewardship) agreements which start on or after 1st January 2013.
Existing agreements
Existing agreement holders can amend their agreement to include the new options, with the exception of the Supplement to Add Wildflowers to Field Corners and Buffer Strips (EE12/OE12). The Supplement is not available to existing agreements because it is closely tied to the reduction in the points allocated to buffer strip options, which does not affect agreements started before 1st January 2013. Also, the option is most suitable for use on newly established buffer strips and field corners to maximise the environmental benefits, rather than areas already sown under existing agreements.
Changes to other options
At the same time as introducing the five new options, changes will also be made to a number of other ES option titles, prescriptions and point values. These changes are all aimed at improving the environmental outcomes and value for money delivered by the schemes.
For example, the points for the Farm Environment Record, FER, have been reduced from 3 points per ha to 1 point per ha, to release points that can be reallocated to options with greater environmental benefit. The title of EF9, currently Unfertilised Cereal Headlands, will change to “Cereal Headlands for Birds”, to clarify the purpose of the option. The width restrictions in the prescription have also been changed to provide a better match with farm equipment, and therefore encourage uptake.
These changes will apply to ELS agreements, Organic ELS agreements and HLS agreements underpinned with ELS, with start dates of 1st January 2013 onwards.
Existing agreement holders who choose to amend their agreement to include one or more new options are not affected by the changes made to other options as part of MESME.
EU Commission approval
Both the new options, and the changes to existing (O)ELS options, are subject to formal EU Commission approval. You can view full details of the proposed changes via our MESME webpage. The final version of the text will appear in the new Fourth Edition ELS and OELS Handbooks, which will be available in October, and will apply to all agreements starting on or after 1 January 2013.
