Guidance

CSHT agreement holder's guide

Published 10 September 2025

Applies to England

15. About your CSHT agreement 

Your CSHT agreement is the legally binding agreement between you and the RPA. It comprises:

• your agreement document, which includes the adapted and agreed prescriptions and specifications of the actions and capital items you have selected – you can view this in the Rural Payments service
• the CSHT terms and conditions
• the CSHT scheme guidance

15.1 What you’re agreeing to do

When you enter a CSHT agreement, you’re agreeing to:

• complete the actions and capital items you have selected, including their prescriptions and specifications which are specified in your agreement document
• comply with your agreement’s terms and conditions including eligibility for each CSHT action and capital item
• comply with the CSHT scheme guidance that further explains the requirements of your agreement, as established by the terms and conditions
• obtain, maintain and comply with any required permits, licences, permissions, consents, approvals, certificates and authorisations (whether statutory or otherwise)
• maintain all capital items in the condition and to the specification set out in the agreement for 5 years from the start of your agreement

Each CSHT action is supported by advice published on GOV.UK to help you complete the action. The advice is optional and does not form part of your agreement.

15.2 Agreement start and end date

Your agreement will usually: 

• start on the first day of the calendar month after you have accepted your offer
• end on the last day of the month of the longest action in your agreement (5, 10, 15 or 20 years), unless it’s terminated earlier

Your agreement document will show the start and end dates for:

• your agreement (the ‘agreement period’)
• each action in your agreement
• each capital item in your agreement

15.3 Actions that expire before an agreement end date

If an action expires before the end of your agreement, you may be able to apply for a new agreement to continue the action. For example, a 5-year action which ends halfway through a 10-year agreement.

16. Managing your CSHT agreement

16.1 Submit your annual declaration

You must submit an annual declaration to confirm you have complied, or expect to have complied, with your obligations for that agreement year.

You must do this by the date specified by the RPA (the ‘due date’), which will be within the last 2 months of the relevant agreement year.

Your annual declaration is a simple tick box form. You’ll submit it online using the Rural Payments service. The RPA will tell you when it’s ready to complete.

If you do not submit your annual declaration by the due date, the RPA may:

• delay the fourth instalment of your payment
• regard it as a breach of your agreement

If something happens which means you cannot comply with your agreement’s obligations for the relevant agreement year: 

• you will not be able to submit your annual declaration, as you cannot confirm that you have complied, or expect to have complied, with your agreement’s obligations for that year
• you must tell the RPA about what’s happened in writing as soon as possible - read section 17.2: ‘What you must do if you cannot comply with your agreement’

16.2 Claim for your capital items

You need to claim for capital items separately. 

16.3 Adding capital items to your agreement

During your CSHT agreement, you may need to apply for additional capital items to make sure you can achieve the intended environmental outcome of your actions.

You cannot add additional capital items to your CSHT agreement. You will need to apply for a separate capital grant agreement if these offers are open:

• Capital Grants
• Higher Tier Capital Grants
• [Protection and Infrastructure grants](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protection-and-infrastructure-grants-2025]

You may be able to apply for additional capital grants plans such as an implementation plan or feasibility study, if agreed with your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer.

Find out more about capital items and how to apply using the capital grant finder tool.

16.4 Declare rotational actions

You must tell the RPA about a change in location of rotational actions towards the end of each year of the action’s duration, except in the final year. You will need to submit your rotational actions declaration towards the end of each year of the action’s duration, except the final year. The RPA will publish further guidance on how to do this.

16.5 Change land or actions to your agreement

During the agreement period, you cannot add more actions or land to your CSHT agreement. You may be able to change actions or land in exceptional circumstances if these are agreed with your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer. You would need to notify the RPA about a change of circumstances. Read section 17.2: ‘What you must do if you cannot comply with your agreement’ for more information.

The RPA will ask you to confirm you accept your updated agreement by a specified date. If you do not do this, the RPA will not update your agreement.

The RPA will tell you if your request is not accepted and you must continue with your existing agreement.

16.6 Remove actions, capital items or land from your agreement or end it early

During the agreement period, you will not usually be able to remove actions, capital items or land from your agreement or end it early.

If you want to remove an action, capital item or land from your agreement, or end it early, you must email or write to the RPA as soon as possible to request this and explain the reason why. Preferably, this should be within 8 weeks of you being able to do so.

The RPA will consider your request and may allow it if there’s been a change of circumstances. The RPA will tell you what they decide.

If the RPA approves your request:

• your agreement will be amended or ended early
• you may have to repay some or all the payments you’ve already received

Read section 17.2 on ‘what you must do if you cannot comply with your agreement’.

16.7 Reviewing your agreement at specific points

If your agreement is for 10 years or more, you may terminate your agreement at an agreed break point date. You must give at least one month’s written notice to the RPA.

Break point dates are at:

• the 5th year of an agreement, if your agreement lasts for 10 years
• the 5th and 10th years of an agreement, if your agreement lasts for 15 years
• the 5th, 10th and 15th (years of an agreement, if your agreement lasts for 20 years

16.8 What happens if you sell or transfer land to another party

You may be able to transfer your agreement or part of your agreement to another party, if they agree to complete the actions in the agreement. For example, if you transfer land because:

• you sell it to someone else
• your tenancy on the land ends, and there’s a new tenant
• someone has died
• there is a change to your business structure

You must email or write to the RPA within 90 days to request this and they will advise what the next steps are.

You may have to repay some, or all the payments you’ve already received during the agreement year.

If the other party is unwilling or unable to take on your obligations under the agreement, RPA may terminate the agreement. If this happens your obligations under the agreement would cease and you would not be expected to repay the grant received for any actions. However you may need to repay the grant for capital items if the land is sold or transferred during the durability period.

Read section 17.2: ‘What you must do if you cannot comply with your agreement’.

16.9 When the RPA may change your agreement

The RPA will not usually change your CSHT agreement during the agreement period. However, it is possible they may need to change:

• your agreement’s terms and conditions
• actions or capital items in your agreement

External factors requiring a change to your agreement could include:

• changes in the law
• disease outbreaks 
• food security emergencies

If the RPA intends to change your agreement they will notify you in writing, giving as much notice as possible. This written notice will include the details of the change to your agreement and the date it will apply from.

The change will apply from the date specified in the written notice, unless you have informed the RPA that you are unable or unwilling to accept the proposed change.

If you are unable or unwilling to accept the proposed change, you must:

• notify the RPA of this change of circumstances in writing
• explain the reason why you cannot accept the proposed change
• submit this change of circumstances notification to the RPA before the date specified in the written notice to you

The RPA will consider the reasons given in your notification and will notify you of their decision in terms of what action they may take for your CSHT agreement.

16.10 Temporary adjustments to the CSHT actions or capital items in your agreement

The RPA may identify factors which may temporarily affect your ability to complete the actions or capital items in your agreement. This could include, for example, adverse weather conditions, such as flooding or drought.

If this happens, the RPA may make a temporary adjustment to the actions or capital items for a period of time specified by them. To do this they will publish details on GOV.UK, giving you as much notice as possible. These details will include:

• what the temporary adjustment is – including which actions or capital items it affects
• the start and end dates for the temporary adjustment
• the evidence you must keep if you choose to comply with the temporary adjustment

After the temporary adjustment’s end date, you must complete your selected actions or capital items as if the temporary adjustment no longer applies.

You do not have to comply with the temporary adjustment. If you choose to comply with it, you must keep evidence to show how you’ve complied with the notice the RPA published on GOV.UK.

You must supply this evidence if the RPA asks for it.

17. Complying with your CSHT agreement

The RPA will support and advise you if you cannot comply with your agreement to help you resolve the problem where possible.

During the period of your CSHT agreement, the RPA may check: 

• you’re complying with your agreement’s terms and conditions
• you’ve completed what’s required in each of your selected actions in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve their aims
• you’re complying with the requirements and specifications of your capital items
• you’re using capital items only for the approved purpose during this period, for example you cannot house livestock if your grant is for roofing a slurry store

17.1 How the RPA will check you’re complying with your agreement

The RPA will check you’re complying with your agreement’s obligations through a combination of:

• physical or virtual site visits
• remote monitoring
• desk-based administrative checks

The RPA may ask you to supply supporting evidence to show, for example, that:

• you have management control of your land
• you’ve completed what’s required in each CSHT action you’ve selected in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim – each action sets out what evidence you must keep
• you’ve completed your capital items to the required specification
• you’re using capital items only for the approved purpose during the durability period

Your agreement’s terms and conditions explain that you must: 

• provide this evidence if the RPA requests it
• keep this evidence for at least 7 years from your agreement’s end date, or its termination date if that’s earlier

Site visits

If the RPA selects your farm or land for a site visit, they’ll:

• try to arrange a suitable date and time with you in advance
• let you know what to expect during the visit

If it’s not possible to arrange a suitable date and time, the RPA will write to you by email or post explaining the purpose, date and time of the visit. This will be at least 48 hours before the site visit, unless the RPA has reason to suspect there’s been a serious breach of your agreement, fraud or any other related offence.

Remote monitoring

The RPA uses aerial photography and satellite imagery to carry out remote monitoring of land cover, vegetation condition and soil erosion risk. This aims to:

• reduce the need for physical site visits
• make sure the actions or capital items are being done in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve their aims
• identify potential issues so the RPA can give targeted support

Desk-based administrative checks

The RPA carries out desk-based administrative checks to make sure you’re meeting your CSHT agreement’s obligations. This can include checking the nature and quality of any supporting evidence they ask you to supply, such as photographs, receipts and farm records. 

17.2 What you must do if you cannot comply with your agreement 

You must tell the RPA in writing as soon as possible if something happens within or outside your control which might reasonably be expected to affect your ability to comply with your CSHT agreement’s obligations. This is called a ‘change of circumstances’.

A change of circumstances includes something that may affect:

• your eligibility to get paid
• how much you’re paid
• your ability to complete your selected actions or capital items
• your ability to comply with your agreement’s terms and conditions

Preferably, you should tell the RPA about a change of circumstances within 8 weeks of you being able to do so. 

17.3 Notify the RPA about a change of circumstances

You can notify the RPA about a change of circumstances by email or post. When you email or write to the RPA, you should include:

• your SBI
• your CSHT agreement reference number, which you can find on your agreement document
• as many details as possible about the change of circumstances, including specific details about any actions or capital items you cannot complete

RPA will look at each change of circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Depending on what’s happened, they may:

• amend your agreement, for example, by removing land, actions or capital items
• reduce your payments
• ask you to repay some or all the payments you’ve already received
• end your agreement early (before your agreement’s end date)

RPA will tell you what their decision is. If you do not agree with it, you can use the complaints procedure to ask the RPA to reconsider it. You must do this within 60 calendar days of the date you’re notified of the decision.

17.4 How you could breach your agreement

You could breach your CSHT agreement if you have:

• given false or misleading information – for example, if you declare management control of land and landscape features where you do not have sufficient control to comply with the CSHT obligations for the entire agreement period
• failed to comply with the terms of your agreement
• used the payments received under your agreement for a purpose that’s not in accordance with the agreement or breaches any law
• breached a requirement you’re subject to under the Agriculture (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2021, as amended
• already received funding or assistance from another body for the same purpose
• a legal binding obligation to carry out management or capital works
• undertaken actions or capital items that are materially different in terms of their nature, scale, costs or timing
• undertaken actions or capital items that have been or are delayed or are unlikely to be completed not notified the RPA of a change of circumstances
• failed to prevent or report actual or anticipated fraud or corruption in relation to the payments you receive under your agreement
• prevented an authorised person from carrying out a virtual or physical site visit of the land in your agreement
• refused a reasonable request by an authorised person to help carry out a virtual or physical site visit of the land in your agreement
• breached any relevant law you’re required to comply with on your land
• failed to provide the required information, records or evidence
• failed to secure all necessary regulatory consents, permissions or licences that apply to you and your land – read section 13 ‘Get all necessary regulatory consents, permissions and licences in place’

This includes a breach caused by your employees or someone acting on your behalf, unless it relates to a change of circumstances or actual or anticipated fraud or corruption.

17.5 If the RPA suspects there’s been a breach

When the RPA checks if you’re complying with your CSHT agreement and they reasonably suspect there’s been a breach, they will carry out a proportionate investigation to determine whether there has been a breach. The RPA may also ask you to provide more information or evidence. 

Once the RPA has completed their investigation, they’ll write to tell you: 

• the outcome
• how you can respond to the outcome (if you do not agree with it)

The RPA will consider your response before making a formal decision (known as a ‘determination’) about whether you have breached your agreement.

17.6 RPA confirms there’s been a breach

If the RPA decides that you have breached your CSHT agreement, they will:

• explain their reasons for the determination in writing
• decide what action, if any, they will take – there are no set actions that they’ll take for particular breaches of your agreement

What the RPA does about the breach will depend on the individual circumstances of your case. They will consider factors such as:

• the nature of the breach
• how serious the breach was
• if you had a ‘good reason’ for the breach – read section 17.7: ‘Good reasons for a breach’
• why did the breach happen and what consequences it may have had
• what impact the breach has on achieving the aims of the capital items or actions in your CSHT agreement, and whether that impact will be short or longer term
• if you can take action to make sure you are complying with your agreement
• any past conduct and whether a similar breach have happened before
• if you intentionally breached your agreement
• whether the breach constitutes an offence and has caused widespread or irreparable damage
• if you have not co-operated with the RPA checking you’re complying with your agreement

The RPA may decide that no action is needed. However, if the RPA decides action is needed, they may:

• issue you with a warning letter
• temporarily or permanently amend, remove or replace a condition subject to which your agreement’s payments are made to you
• temporarily or permanently amend, remove or replace your selected actions, capital items or timescales
• allow you to rectify the breach
• delay, reduce, recover or withhold payments or require you to repay some or all the payments you’ve already received

The RPA may decide that there’s a serious breach of your CSHT agreement because it:

• was intentional
• was due to negligence or recklessness
• has happened more than once, without good reason

In this case, they may:

• end your CSHT agreement before its end date
• prevent you from receiving payments under any other financial assistance scheme for up to 2 years

Where there is evidence of fraud or illegality, they will follow the relevant legal process.

If you do not agree with the RPA’s determination that there’s been a breach, you can use the complaints procedure to ask the RPA to reconsider it. You must do this within 60 calendar days of the date you’re notified of the determination.

17.7 Good reasons for a breach

There may be circumstances (a ‘good reason’) which mean you breach your CSHT agreement’s obligations because of events outside of your control.

Good reasons for a breach include, but are not limited to:

• natural events, such as prolonged adverse weather conditions, flooding, or animal or plant disease
• if you are seriously ill
• the death of the agreement holder
• if there is unforeseen loss of management control of the land in your agreement, for example when a tenancy is terminated, or because of the compulsory purchase of land by a third party
• financial circumstances, such as bankruptcy
• evidenced supply chain problems, such as a lack of laboratory soil testing capacity
• criminal damage by a third party, such as arson or vandalism

If there’s a ‘good reason’ for the breach of your agreement, you (or someone authorised to act on your behalf) must write to the RPA to explain:

• what has happened, including details of the events outside your control which meant you breached your agreement
• whether you can take action to make sure you are complying with your agreement

You must email or write to the RPA immediately if the good reason has led you to breach your agreement by:

• preventing the RPA from carrying out a site visit
• refusing to help with a site visit
• obstructing a virtual or physical site visit of the land in your agreement

In all other cases, you must email or write to the RPA within 8 weeks from the date that either:

• you are able to
• the RPA notifies you of their determination that you’ve breached your agreement

The RPA will: 

• consider your individual circumstances - they may ask you to supply further evidence
• decide what action, if any, they will take – they will tell you about their decision

If you knew about the issue when you entered your agreement, it’s unlikely the RPA will consider it to be a good reason for a breach.

Contact the RPA

If you have a general question about CSHT, contact RPA by: 

• completing a query form in the Rural Payments service - sign in to your Rural Payments account and go to ‘Create or view a query’ (this is the quickest way to receive a response)
• email: ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk - use ‘CSHT’ in the subject header and include your SBI 
• telephone: 03000 200 301 - Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm, except bank holidays 
• post: PO Box 325, Worksop, S95 1DG