Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to support Higher Level Stewardship agreement holders transition to new environmental land management schemes.
Where appropriate we are extending those Higher Level Stewardship agreements into 2022, and we are looking at how best to extend these further over the agricultural transition period. Agreement holders who are not offered an extension are encouraged to apply to Countryside Stewardship. When the new environmental land management schemes are fully rolled out, we will make sure there is a smooth transition for those in existing agri-environment schemes or involved in our pilots.