Does your existing Mid-Tier end in December 2023? Time for a review…?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 7th, 2023 at 10:37 am

Whilst this may seem a long way off now is a good time to review your existing agreement. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) are likely to offer five-year extension agreements, but these will mirror the existing scheme with no amendments possible.

Certain options may have worked better in certain areas than anticipated and other options just haven’t worked or were more of a headache to manage. Farming practices or businesses may have also changed for you. Therefore, reviewing farm options on a field-by-field basis may lead you to think of declining the agreement extension and applying for a new Mid-Tier (MT) scheme or a Wildlife Offer (WLO).

The last two years have seen an increase in both annual revenue rates and capital payments. Options that do not offer greater environmental benefit through biodiversity may have seen the payment rates frozen.

As we have seen inflation soaring, the capital works may not have been carried out or fully completed as part of the MT due to the increased costs. You may have been put off applying for capital items previously but with greater awareness of reducing diffuse pollution or capturing rainfall you now want to investigate the possibility of adding large capital items to a new agreement. Opposed to a standalone capital grant which is capped at £20,000. As with previous applications some items require a Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer visit and approval, and you would need to be in a priority area to apply for concreting the yard or covering a manure store.

The window for MT and WLO applications opens on 21^st March closing on 18^th August 2023. There may be secondary agency involvement required for priority areas or Sites of Special Scientific Interest. There are deadlines to request this support which can take time and must be factored in to if you want to submit a new application during 2023. It is essential to note that applications are competitive and if successful schemes would start for a further five years from 1^st January 2024.

If you would like to discuss reviewing your existing scheme against new options or want further details, please get in touch with Chris Muir.

T: 01904 489731

E: chris.muir@stephenson.co.uk