New Mid Tier Agreement.

We were approached by ongoing client, Mark Middleton, to advise and assist with an application for a Mid Tier Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Mark is a farmer and contractor local to our Kettering office in Northamptonshire.

How We Approached The Project

In the first instance we discussed with our client their main objectives for the project. These were to maximise environmental benefits on the land and maximise revenue return from the scheme whilst working with the attributes of the land itself. There was also substantial capital works that the client wanted to claim funding towards for improvements to the farm.

We explained the options available under the scheme and the potential payment rates for the options. We then went through the farm, field by field with the client to discuss which options may be appropriate for the land type and the commercial farming plans going forward.

How We Achieved The Project

Once we had been through and decided on appropriate options, we created the farm plan showing where these options would be and completed the appropriate forms in draft and estimated the annual income from the Scheme. Some of the appropriate options chosen were:

• GS2 – Permanent grassland with very low inputs – To provide a varied sward structure and more flowering grasses and wildflowers, in order to increase the habitat and food available for invertebrates, birds and other animals.
• BE3 – Management of hedgerows – To increase blossom availability for invertebrates, provide a vital source of food for over-wintering birds by allowing fruit and berries to ripen, and improve the structure and longevity of hedgerows.
• AB9 – Winter bird food – To provide important food resources for farmland birds, especially in autumn and winter.
• AB1 – Nectar Flower Mix – To provide areas of flowering plants that will boost the availability of essential food sources for butterflies, bumblebees and other pollinators.
• SW3 – In-field grass strips – To reduce the movement of sediment, nutrients and pesticides by surface run-off within fields and from field to field.

We then went through the capital investment plans the client had and went through the same process highlighting the options available for funding of these items. The projects included works to underground pipework in the farmyard, concrete renewal, above ground water rainfall tanks and the first-flush of rainwater diverters and down pipe filters. This was to reduce the contamination of harvested rainwater.

We then completed and finalised the application. We received approval for the application and it commenced on 1st January 2021. We sent all relevant documentation to the client including a summary of the management terms under the various options selected.

We continue to work with the client generating and submitting the annual claim forms.