The Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship schemes are supporting farmers to deliver environmental benefits while maintaining sustainable food production.
The Rural Payments Agency has confirmed that three-quarters of eligible farmers have already received their payments since the 2025 payment window opened on 1 December.
By managing land sustainably, the schemes boost farm resilience and help future-proof rural businesses, aligning with government targets for nature recovery, carbon storage, and sustainable food production.
What is the Country Stewardship scheme?
The Countryside Stewardship schemes provide funding to farmers and land managers to improve their local environment.
It supports a range of enhanced environmental outcomes from restoring wildlife habitats and creating woodlands to managing flood risk.
Why is sustainable food production so important?
Sustainable food farming is essential for ensuring long-term food security, environmental protection, and social well-being.
One of the most important benefits of sustainable food farming is its positive impact on the environment. Practices such as crop rotation, reduced chemical use, soil conservation, and efficient water management help maintain soil fertility, protect biodiversity, and reduce pollution.
By working with natural ecosystems rather than against them, sustainable farming minimises land degradation and lowers greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
Sustainable food farming also supports human health and local communities. Reducing reliance on synthetic pesticides and fertilisers produces safer, more nutritious food. Local and small-scale sustainable farms often strengthen rural economies by creating jobs and promoting fair labour practices.
Ultimately, sustainable food farming is not just an agricultural approach but a responsibility. It balances environmental care, economic viability, and social equity, making it a vital solution for building a resilient and healthy global food system.
Conserving and protecting important farmland
The schemes also help protect and restore habitats and species, improve water quality, reduce flooding risks, enhance carbon capture, and conserve important historical and archaeological features.
So far, more than 28,351 payments have been made, bringing the total amount paid to farmers to £435.6 million.
RPA Chief Executive Neil Hornby said: “The RPA has been working hard to ensure farmers receive their Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship payments as quickly as possible.
“We’ve made a strong start to the 2025 payment window and increased the number of payments made in the first few weeks compared with last year.”
A new future for farming with sustainable food production
The government is backing British farmers to create a productive, profitable, and sustainable future for farming.
Through new technology, streamlined regulation and nature-friendly farming schemes, it is helping farmers produce sustainable food for the nation.
More than half of farmers are in farming schemes, helping them to adopt nature-friendly methods which are good for their bottom lines.
