Correspondence

eAlert: 29 March 2022 - request your Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier application pack

Published 8 April 2022

Applies to England

• Publication for Northern Ireland
• Publication for Scotland
• Publication for Wales

1. England Woodland Creation Offer Application Form top tips

1.1 Over the coming weeks we’ll be sharing some advice on how you should complete the EWCO Application Form so that we have all the information we need to process your application.

Tip 2: Make sure you have a Single Business Identifier and Customer Reference Number

Single Business Identifiers (SBIs) and Customer Reference Numbers (CRNs) are mandatory on the EWCO Application Form Part A and Part B for the lead applicant of the scheme. If you are already registered on the Rural Payments Service, you will have an SBI and a CRN.

If you are unable to locate your SBI or CRN, we recommend contacting the Rural Payments Service at ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk or by phone on 03000 200 301.

If you are finding these top tips useful then please come along to our webinar to hear more on how to submit a great EWCO application!

Join us at our webinar on Tuesday 26 April 2022 from 1:00pm

2. We have updated some of our England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) forms and guidance

2.1 Find out what’s changed

To help applicants with our minimum mapping standards, an example agreement map is now available on the EWCO Application form page, with further guidance available in the Grant Manual.

An updated version of the EWCO Grant Manual and Terms and Conditions are also now available. EWCO Agreement holders will be notified of this change via email and will have 30 working days from the date of the email before the changes become effective.

Please also note we have issued EWCO Application Form Part Bv1.5 with minor changes. We will only accept Application Form Part Bv1.4 or later from 22 March 2022.

2.2 EWCO Grant Claims

To improve our claim processing, we have also issued a new EWCO Grant Claim Form in Excel format, to be submitted alongside our Non-RDPE Grant Claim Declaration Form. These forms are available on our EWCO Claim form page. Please note that we will no longer accept older versions from 10 May 2022.

3. Don’t forget to request your Countryside Stewardship (CS) Higher Tier (HT) application pack

3.1 The window to request your pack will close on 31 March 2022.

The Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Application window opened on the 8 February 2022. To apply for the woodland improvement option WD2, woodland supplements (if applicable) or forestry capital items, you must request an application pack by midnight on the 31 March.

Contact the RPA to request your pack:

Tel: 03000 200 301 Email: ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk

You will have until midnight of the 29 April 2022 to submit your application and accompanying documents back to the RPA.

4. Why plant trees infographic

Find out everything planting trees can do for the planet, our health and the economy in this infographic.

5. Farming Equipment and Technology Fund

5.1 Help shape the list of available items for funding.

The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund supports the purchase of equipment, technology, and infrastructure designed to improve agricultural, horticultural and forestry productivity in a sustainable way by offering a grant towards the cost of specific items from a list.

Farmers, horticulturalists, and forestry owners in England can apply. Contractors can also apply if they have a registered business address in England.

The first round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund closed on 7 January 2022. Defra received 5,624 eligible applications worth an overall value of just over £53.5million.

Defra now want to review the list of items available for grant funding ahead of the second round.

You can shape the list of items available for the second round by suggesting:

• additional items you think should be included in future rounds
• items you think should be removed from the original list
• item specifications you think need to be amended

If you wish to shape the list of items available, the form and further information can be found on the Defra blog: The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund: review of items.

6. Frequently asked questions guide for Local Authority Treescapes Fund and Urban Tree Challenge Fund applications

6.1 Available on our GOV.UK grant fund pages.

If you’re considering applying for the Local Authority Treescapes Fund or the Urban Tree Challenge Fund, you can use our new frequently asked questions guide to help you decide which fund is right for you and get a lot more information to help you with your application. Both funds are open for new applications until 23:59 on 31 May 2022.

7. Successful delivery of our new Consultation and Decision Public Registers platform

7.1 Defra’s woodland creation delivery partners will start to receive comments directly from our Consultation Public Register.

Our woodland creation delivery partners (those bodies that receive funding from Defra to deliver woodland creation opportunities) are now able to publish and manage their own woodland creation applications on the Forestry Commission’s Consultation and Decision Public Registers.

The comments made on these applications will be received directly by the partners themselves, helping streamline the publics engagement in the decision making process.

Updated user guidance to help view and comment on cases on the Registers is available on our Public registers and consultation on forestry projects GOV.UK page.

8. Could you apply for the Tree Production Innovation Fund?

8.1 Our blogs have been showing what some of the successful applicants have achieved!

The Tree Production Innovation Fund is open now for applications - find out more on our GOV.UK page and read our latest blog: Tree Production Innovation Fund - Third spotlight on successful applicants to see what people have already done through this fund.

We are looking for applicants who want to develop and adopt new technologies and ways of working that will enhance the quantity, quality and diversity of tree planting stock available for planting in England.