Rural Affairs

Sustaining the English Uplands

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Common Agricultural Policy
(Single Payment Scheme)

Environmental Stewardship

Rural Development Programme 2007-2013

The majority of the English uplands can be found in the north and south-west of England, with a small amount in the counties along the Welsh border. They are nationally and internationally important for biodiversity, as well as being of significant agricultural, landscape, archaeological, recreational, cultural and natural resource value.  Agriculture activity has played a large part in shaping these valuable upland landscapes, and continues to provide many of the tools with which to manage them.  Further information on land designations within the uplands and map of the Less Favoured Areas.

Specific Upland funding

The Hill Farm Allowance (HFA) is a specific support measure for hill farmers in the English uplands, in recognition of the greater difficulties they face in farming these areas. It is administered by the Rural Payments Agency. The HFA will continue in 2008 and 2009, after which uplands support would be fully integrated into Environmental Stewardship. Further information on specific upland funding.

Grazing Management

Overgrazing, undergrazing and unsuitable supplementary feeding practices can all damage the biodiversity and landscape of our semi-natural grassland, heathlands and woodlands. Grazing management is therefore an essential tool in both the uplands and lowlands of England. Further information on grazing management.

Heather and Grass Burning

The heather and grass burning legislation and code of practice also aim to maintain and enhance the semi-natural environment. While this is predominantly affects uplands areas, it also applies to the lowlands. These aim to provide a contribution to the development of biodiversity by the availability of habitats, and also help in the maintenance of a sustainable upland environment. Further information on heather and grass burning.

Common Land

The majority of common land in England is located within the Uplands. There are over 1,400 designated common land sites representing some 305,000 hectares of land. Further information on common land policy.

Latest Developments

  • The Rural Payments Agency has issued a correction to the stocking density calculation for HFA 2008 to replace Annex A of the explanatory booklet published for HFA 2008.
  • On 8 October 2007 the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced a series of measures to alleviate the economic and welfare pressures caused to the English livestock sector as a result of the recent Foot and Mouth outbreak. As part of these measures, £8.5m of assistance was paid to hill farmers who received HFA 2007 through a one-off payment.
  • A new ‘Grazing your landscape’ leaflet has been produced which updates the MAFF (now Defra) publication 'Your livestock and your landscape'. It explains how Overgrazing and Unsuitable Supplementary Feeding controls will be implemented under the Single Payment Scheme, agri-environment schemes and the Hill Farm Allowance.
  • Future upland support - David Miliband on 12 December 2006 laid a ministerial statement at Parliament on the future of upland support.

Consultations

  • Future upland support - The public consultation on the successor to the Hill Farm Allowance closed on 22 May 2006.  88 responses were received and have been considered. A summary on the Uplands Reward Structure (URS) is available on the URS consultation webpage.

Reports and Statistics

Contacts/Links

Page last modified: 15 April, 2008
Page published: 24 February, 2005

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs