More details have been made available today about our new environmental land management scheme called ‘Countryside Stewardship’, with the publication of an Introducing Countryside Stewardship leaflet on GOV.UK.
‘Countryside Stewardship’, which is part of the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme for England, will contribute an additional £900 million to rural businesses to help them improve the countryside environment. This is on top of the £2.1 billion we already provide via the predecessor scheme Environmental Stewardship.
The main priority for Countryside Stewardship is biodiversity. Water quality is another important priority. The leaflet contains further details on what the new scheme will achieve and how and when to apply.