Section 1 - Introduction
- 1.1 What is Environmental Stewardship?
- 1.2 Farm Environment Plan (FEP) and Higher Level Stewardship
- 1.3 The relationship between the ELS/OELS Farm Environmental Record and the HLS Farm Environment Plan
- 1.4 Why we have produced a FEP form and guidance handbook
- 1.5 FEP - The basic details
The purpose of this handbook is to provide guidance on how to carry out a Farm Environment Plan (FEP), which is an essential part of an application for Higher Level Environmental Stewardship. The natural and historic environment is complex, but we have made our requirements for the FEP as simple as possible. However, carrying out a FEP is still a complex process and for this reason many farmers will wish to employ a surveyor to carry out the FEP and, therefore, this handbook is directed at the surveyor.
This handbook provides guidance on identifying environmental features; carrying out necessary consultation; identifying the potential for HLS on the land and completing the FEP form. This guidance will help the surveyor produce a FEP that meets our quality standards.
1.1 What is Environmental Stewardship?
Environmental Stewardship (ES) is a new agri-environment scheme which aims to secure widespread environmental benefits. The scheme has three elements:
- Entry Level Stewardship
- Organic Entry Level Stewardship
- Higher Level Stewardship
Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) is a 'whole farm scheme' open to all farmers and other land managers. Acceptance will be guaranteed providing the applicant can meet the scheme requirements. If the applicant has a mix of conventionally and organically farmed land,
or if all of the land is farmed organically, they should apply for OELS (see below).
Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS) is a 'whole farm scheme' similar to the ELS, open to farmers who manage all or part of their land organically and who are not receiving aid under the Organic Aid Scheme (OAS) or the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS). If any part of the farm is registered with an Organic Inspection Body, the applicant should apply for OELS rather than ELS. There is a separate OELS application pack, available from Rural Development Service (RDS) offices.
Higher Level Stewardship (HLS), which will be combined with ELS or OELS options, aims to deliver significant environmental benefits in high priority situations and areas. HLS is discretionary and concentrates on the more complex types of management where land managers need advice and support and where agreements need to be tailored to local circumstances. There is a separate HLS application pack, available from your RDS office.
1.2 Farm Environment Plan (FEP) and Higher Level Stewardship
1.2.1 What is a FEP?
A FEP appraises the environmental value of land by identifying 'features' and suggesting appropriate HLS management options for them. It will also identify areas that may become 'features' with appropriate management. The HLS applicant will then need to consider how best to address these recommended management options within the farming constraints they operate under. For the purpose of the FEP 'feature' means the environmental features which are listed and explained in section 4 of this handbook.
The FEP will:
- Identify features which may benefit from HLS management, such as: habitats for breeding waders; historic buildings; upland hay meadows; vulnerable soils; stone walls; ponds; ancient trees and traditional orchards. This will allow us to assess applications in a consistent way. It will also provide us with a basis for monitoring the success of the scheme.
- Build on, and not duplicate, the ELS or OELS Farm Environment Record (FER), which the applicant will have completed (see section 2.3.2 of the appropriate ELS or OELS handbook).
- Provide a baseline for future assessment of the condition of features managed under HLS.
The FEP will not:
- Seek to provide information already available such as that in Countryside Character or Natural Area descriptions.
- Duplicate information provided by the applicant on their application forms.
- Be a comprehensive management plan.
1.2.2 How will a FEP be of interest to the farm business?
Although a FEP is a pre-requisite for entry into HLS, a FEP should also be of general interest to the way the farm is managed as it will contain a detailed assessment of the historical, landscape and conservation value of the land. It will highlight the most important environmental features and include recommendations on how best to manage them.
At the same time, a FEP will also be relevant to the farming business and the environment since it will cover areas such as soil erosion, and provide a useful tool for ensuring that the whole farm is managed in an environmentally friendly way.
A FEP should therefore be useful to other farm advisers and contractors. For instance, by identifying vulnerable habitats, it will help with complying with the Voluntary Initiative (on the safe use of pesticides) and should help in complying with environmental standards in farm assurance schemes.
1.2.3 How will a FEP help with applying for HLS?
HLS is designed to deliver significant environmental benefits which may require complex management. In order to do this, it is vitally important that the applicant and RDS have good quality information about the current environmental value and interest of the land and its potential to deliver additional environmental benefits. The FEP is designed to record this information in a way that both the applicant and RDS can use to determine how suitable the farm is for HLS management, and help build an HLS agreement.
The targeting statement relevant to the holding will identify the types of features that are of particular significance in your region and which we hope to have managed under HLS. The FEP will identify all of the features on the land and will therefore enable the HLS applicant to submit an application that can meet our objectives, wherever possible. This will maximise the applicant's likelihood of getting an agreement. All HLS applications must be supported by a FEP. If an application is received for land without a FEP it will be rejected. FEPs will be valid for five years, but do no need to be repeated once an HLS agreement is in place.
A FEP must meet out quality standards if we are to make a payment for it. In order to meet our quality standards the FEP surveyor will have to carry out a thorough desk study and field survey.
1.3 The relationship between the ELS/OELS Farm Environmental Record and the HLS Farm Environment Plan
As a condition of ELS the applicant must identify, map and retain important environmental features and areas on the land. This information is recorded on the ELS/OELS FER map, which will normally be prepared by the farmer. The FEP will build on this information (see the ELS/OELS handbook for more information on the FER).
1.4 Why we have produced a FEP form and guidance handbook
We need to ensure that we are provided with information on all areas of interest to us in a clear and consistent way so that we can make an open and fair assessment of all HLS applications. FEPs will allow us to select those areas where we can most effectively use our resources to benefit both the farmer and the countryside.
1.5 FEP - The basic details
1.5.1 Who can carry out a FEP?
FEPs need to be carried out by those who have experience of the practical issues involved in the five main objectives of the scheme namely: wildlife, landscape, natural resource protection, historic environment and public access. For example, the ability to identify different species of grasses and wild flowers is expected. The applicant may therefore decide to employ a consultant who is familiar with the FEP process to undertake this task. However, the applicant may feel that they have sufficient environmental experience to carry out the FEP themselves.
Whoever carries out the FEP will need to have access to the internet in order to obtain all the relevant information. Section 2 of this handbook explains exactly what is needed.
1.5.2 What does a FEP look like?
A FEP will consist of a completed form and an annotated map. The form is available in either electronic or paper versions. The map will show both FER and FEP information.
1.5.3 How long will it take to prepare a FEP?
The time taken to carry out a FEP will vary according to the area of land it covers; the complexity of the land; its accessibility, and the experience of the surveyor. All of the land will have to be walked in order to complete a FEP.
1.5.4 When should a FEP be carried out?
It can be done at any time of year but it needs to be done prior to applying for an HLS agreement. See section 2.6.3 for further details.
1.5.5 How does the payment for the FEP work?
The applicant will be paid by us for submitting a FEP as long as it meets the required standards and accompanies a properly completed HLS application. The amount the applicant is paid for a FEP will depend on the total area of RLR land (land registered on the Rural Land Register) as shown on the FER/FEP map. (See 2.1 and the ELS/OELS handbook for more information on the RLR.)
The payments are set out in the table below. This payment includes an amount to cover the fees charged for consulting the staff at Historic Environment Record offices: £75 for areas of 50 ha or less and £150 for more than 50 ha (see section 2.5.1b for further details).
Provided it is of sufficient quality, the applicant will be paid for a FEP after it and the HLS application have been assessed by us. Therefore a FEP should not be commissioned unless it will accompany an application for HLS. Payment does not depend upon the application to join HLS being successful.
| Area (ha) | Total payment (£) |
|---|---|
| < 6 | 395 |
| 6-15 | 555 |
| 16-50 | 715 |
| 51-149 | 1035 |
| 150-200 | 1110 |
| 201-500 | 1430 |
| 501-1000 | 1750 |
| 1001-1500 | 2070 |
| 1501-2000 | 2390 |
| 2001-2500 | 2710 |
| 2501-3000 | 3030 |
| > 3000 | 3350 |
Please note that the payment will not be based on the actual costs incurred.
1.5.6 Are there any quality standards for a FEP?
We will only pay for FEPs that meet our quality standards so the applicant will need to be confident that whoever produces the FEP is competent in this area of work. RDS will conduct office and field checks to ensure that FEPs are of sufficient quality. If the FEP is found to contain any material inaccuracies or omissions the applicant will be asked to correct and re-submit it. The applicant will not receive the FEP payment until it meets our quality standards. If material inaccuracies or omissions are found once an HLS agreement is in place we may consider this to be a breach of the agreement and consider appropriate sanctions. For details of how we deal with breaches and appeals please see section 7 of the ELS/OELS handbook. See also the declaration on the FEP form.
For details of how we assess quality standards please refer to appendix 1 of this handbook.
1.5.7 Will information from the FEP be made public?
To meet our obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 we need to explain how we will handle the information given to us.
Because Environmental Stewardship involves expenditure of public money, there is public interest in how the money is spent. Therefore Defra may, in certain circumstances, make information contained in FEPs publicly available for this purpose. We may also need to disclose details from FEPs to other organisations or individuals for administration, evaluation or monitoring purposes.
Details disclosed may include the applicant's name; the surveyor's name; the name of their farm or business; grid references; the total area under agreement; the payment they receive; the location of fields; and details of the environmental features. Such information may also be released upon request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Page last modified:
19 May, 2005
Page published: 3 March, 2005