The sudden closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) has left many farms short of agri-environment scheme funding while BPS payments are simultaneously being reduced. DEFRA have said that further information about a revamped SFI scheme will be released this summer, with the scheme expected to open in spring 2026. Capital Grant schemes were also closed in November last year and are expected to reopen in summer 2025.
All existing SFI and Countryside Stewardship agreements are unaffected. Those in Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreements can expect a rise in payment rates to be implemented this year.
What environmental funding is still available to apply for across the southwest?
Please note this information was correct at the time of publishing, please check with the relevant funding body for further details and updates.
National Funding
Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier
5-20 year agreements focused on the creation and management of more complex habitats.
Applications will open in summer 2025 and will be by invitation only, beginning with farms with Higher Tier or HLS agreements expiring in 2024 or 2025, followed by farms who have indicated they want to increase environmental commitment through the completion of management plans, implementation plans and feasibility studies.
Pre-application process will be completed with Natural England and/or the Forestry Commission prior to applications opening.
More information can be found here and read the HLS and Higher Tier blog post here.
Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Capital Grants
3 year capital grants that can be applied for to support existing agreements, 25 capital items are available to help support environmentally significant sites and woodlands.
Applications should be discussed with Natural England prior to submitting, except woodland only applications which are supported by the Forestry Commission.
More information at can be found here.
England Woodland Creation Grant (EWCO)
Supports planting of new woodland on sites of 1 ha and above.
Provides up to £10,200 per hectare (ha) for planting, plus 15 years of maintenance payments at £400/ha/yr, and up to £12,700 of stackable payments for delivering extra benefits.
Area must be in England, not already classified as woodland and not within an existing grant agreement (with some exceptions).
More information here
Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG)
Grants available for planning the creation of 5 ha or more of woodland in England.
The grant has 2 stages:
You can apply for £1,500 to complete Stage 1 of the WCPG application. This is for a desk-based exercise to identify the constraints and opportunities affecting the proposed planting.
If the site has potential for woodland creation, you will be offered a Stage 2 payment. Stage 2 payments help cover the costs for preparing:
a site appraisal map
a design concept plan
a draft woodland creation design plan compliant with the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS)
More info here
Woodland Tree Health Grant
A 3 year grant to restock or improve woodland after tree health problems. There are two grants:
Restoration grant, which provides support for restocking woodland after felling due to a tree health issue.
Improvement grant, which provides support for the removal of trees and rhododendron infected with either Phytophthora ramorum, Phytophthora pluvialis or Phytophthora kernoviae.
Land must be over 0.5 ha and meet the definition of woodland.
More info here
Woodland Trust MOREWoods
Will cover up to 75% of costs of planting 500+ trees on at least 0.5 hectares, including trees and expert advice.
More info here
Woodland Trust MOREHedges
Will cover up to 75% of the cost for planting 100 metres or more of new hedging and allow a large tree to grow every six metres. Funding covers the trees, tree protection and expert advice.
More info here
Farming Equipment and Technology Fund – open for applications from 29th May to 10th July only. Full details can be found here.
Farming in Protected Landscapes
If your farm is in a protected landscape (National Landscape or National Park) then you can apply for up to 100% of cost of on-farm projects that support objectives for nature, climate, people and places within these protected landscapes.
Funding is available for the 25/26 financial year, and projects must be completed by the end of March 2026.
Find out more here
Animal Health and Welfare
Farmers who keep cattle, sheep or pigs can get funding for a vet to visit their farm to carry out an annual health and welfare review, and an endemic disease follow-up.
Apply at any time, value of grant depends on livestock type.
More info here
Green Finance
Private finance funding is available through opportunities such as Biodiversity Net Gain, Nutrient Neutrality, Woodland and Peatland carbon codes.
Emerging opportunities include soil carbon and flood risk reduction, and soil carbon credit schemes.
These schemes usually require long term commitment and planning.
More info can be found here on Biodiversity Net Gain and here on The Woodland Carbon Code Scheme.
Further Anticipated Funding
Landscape Recovery – further round expected this year. Existing Landscape Recovery projects are continuing as planned.
How can FWAG SW help you prepare for future funding applications?
PA1 Implementation Plans and PA2 Feasibility Studies
We can help you apply for £1,200 for a PA1 Implementation Plan, or up to 100% of costs of a PA2 Feasibility Study, that will help identify the works you should complete to create or restore habitat or features as part of future schemes.
These plans are often used to inform Higher Tier applications. We can help with applications and writing and coordinating these plans and studies.
More info on PA1 here and PA2 here.
PA3 Woodland Management Plans
PA3 Woodland Management Plans are used to determine a 10 year management plan for woodland over 0.5 ha.
These plans are a pre-requisite for woodland Higher Tier agreements.
The amount paid depends on the hectarage of woodland.
FWAG SW can help apply for and prepare these plans, often in preparation for other woodland grants.
More information available by clicking here.
PA4 Agroforestry Plans
PA4 Agroforestry Plans can be used to plan agroforestry projects. Payments are £1,268.08 per plan.
The plan can then be used to help apply for capital funding for planting trees (once capital grants open), and for Higher Tier or SFI applications once the trees are planted.
More info about Agroforestry Plans.
Felling License Applications
We can prepare felling licenses to support tree removal in association with other woodland grant schemes. A felling license is required if removing more than 5 cubic meters of woody material per calendar quarter.
Habitat Assessments
Many habitats require surveys to assess their eligibility for grant schemes, which must be completed at the right time of year. If you are hoping to apply for funding for specialist habitats such as species rich grasslands, wet grasslands for overwintering waders and wildfowl, wood pasture, traditional orchards, heathland or moorland, we can assess these sites and provide pre-application surveys to make sure that you apply for the best possible funding combinations.
Baseline Mapping and Surveys
We can provide baseline habitat mapping or surveys for supply chain requirements e.g. LEAF, for farms who are considering Biodiversity Net Gain or for farms who are making changes and would like to survey what is already on farm in order to compare in the future.
Please contact our adviser team if you have any queries using the contact details below.