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Environmental Stewardship: guidance and forms for agreement holders

Use these documents to meet the requirements for an Entry Level Stewardship (ELS), Organic ELS, Uplands ELS or Higher Level Stewardship agreement.

Published 17 April 2015
Last updated 11 July 2020 — see all updates

• From: Rural Payments Agency, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and Natural England

Latest news

How to contact us about Environmental Stewardship

If you want to contact us about Environmental Stewardship you can phone our Customer Service Centre on 03000 200 301 or email us at: ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk and include ‘Environmental Stewardship’ in the email subject line.

What do I need to do?

Sign in to the Rural Payments service and make sure your details are registered and up to date. We will use these details to confirm your identity when you contact us.

You will need your Customer Reference Number (CRN) and password, or sign in through GOV.UK Verify, then:

• update your email address
• update your telephone numbers
• update your business permission levels
• add people to your business (with ‘View Business’ permissions, for example.)

For more information about what you can do in the Rural Payments service, go to the Rural Payments: registering and updating your details page.

If you need any help updating your details, please call us on 03000 200 301 and choose the ‘Rural Payments registration’ option.

Guidance

• How to get paid under an agreement: Environmental Stewardship
  • 11 July 2020
  • Guidance
• Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) 2020 agreement extension
  • 12 September 2019
  • Guidance
• Agreement holders’ information: Environmental Stewardship
  • 1 July 2019
  • Guidance
• Changes to digital maps that may affect stewardship and forestry scheme agreements
  • 4 July 2018
  • Guidance
• Inspection: Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship
  • 24 October 2019
  • Guidance
• Additions, transfers and option changes to existing agreements: Environmental Stewardship
  • 23 September 2015
  • Guidance
• Educational access visits on your land: Environmental Stewardship
  • 11 September 2014
  • Guidance
• Hot and dry weather conditions in England
  • 3 September 2020
  • Guidance
• How HS2 affects payments for stewardship scheme agreements
  • 19 March 2020
  • Guidance
• HS2 information for farmers and growers
  • 4 July 2019
  • Guidance

Forms: all scheme levels

• Environmental Stewardship Scheme query form
  • 25 November 2019
  • Form
• Minor and temporary adjustment (MTA) form: Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship
  • 20 December 2019
  • Form
• Agent authorisation: Environmental Stewardship
  • 13 February 2015
  • Form
• Shared grazing and common land: Environmental Stewardship
  • 3 February 2020
  • Form
• Supplementary land ownership and control: Environmental Stewardship
  • 22 January 2009
  • Form
• Livestock record-keeping: Environmental Stewardship
  • 22 October 2020
  • Form

Forms: Entry Level Stewardship (ELS), Organic ELS and Uplands ELS

• Field parcel reconciliation: Organic Entry Level Stewardship
  • 22 January 2009
  • Form

Forms: Higher Level Stewardship

• Farm visit evaluation: Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship
  • 6 July 2015
  • Form
• VAT declaration: Higher Level Stewardship
  • 13 March 2019
  • Form
• Source of British native-origin seed: Higher Level Stewardship
  • 22 January 2009
  • Form

Published 17 April 2015
Last updated 11 July 2020 + show all updates

1. 11 July 2020

   Under ‘Latest news’, removed section: ‘Extra month to claim for farm payments’

2. 28 April 2020

   Link added to news article regarding the 'Extra month to claim for farm payments'

3. 25 November 2019

   Added Environmental Stewardship Scheme query form

4. 19 August 2019

   Added the 'Minor and temporary adjustment (MTA) form: Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship' to the Forms section All Schemes

5. 20 June 2019

   Latest news item added to inform customers the way they contact us about Environmental Stewardship is changing from 1 July 2019

6. 16 May 2019

   Information updated following 15 May deadline.

7. 12 April 2019

   Information published about Drop-in centres.

8. 1 August 2018

   Link to guidance for those finding it difficult to meet scheme requirements due to hot and dry weather conditions.

9. 12 June 2018

   Deadline for late applications and amendments has passed.

10. 1 June 2018

    Deadline for late amendments to claims is 11 June.

11. 16 May 2018

    Deadline for late claims is 11 June 2018. Deadline for amendments to claims is 31 May.

12. 3 August 2017

    Guidance for agreement holders affected by HS2.

13. 17 April 2015

    First published.