Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farms have applied for grants under the Environmental Land Management Scheme in the last 12 months.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Rural Payments Agency published their Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25 on 17 July 2025, which includes the most recent verifiable summary of Environmental Land Management scheme uptake.
Following the success of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 23 scheme, the SFI 24 Expanded Offer was launched in June 2024 where customers were invited to apply via an Expressions of Interest exercise similar to its predecessor. Once the scheme was opened to the wider public, 18,080 applications were submitted by 11 March 2025 when the scheme was closed to further applications.
12,081 livestock farmers applied for agreements worth £4.6 million for a vet to visit their farm for an Animal Health and Welfare review.
As of January 2025, there were approximately 45,000 live Countryside Stewardship agreements. This total includes over 13,500 Capital only agreements and around 31,500 Revenue agreements, of which just over 20,000 also include Capital options. This figure includes approximately 7,948 new Capital agreements received for the 2024 scheme year.
** Farm Businesses can apply for multiple Grants under the Environmental Land Management Scheme. The RPA ARA includes information up to 31 March 2025.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities in (a) managing and (b) eradicating Japanese knotweed.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the impacts caused by invasive species, including Japanese knotweed. Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This makes it an offence to cause Japanese knotweed to grow in the wild.
In England Government has developed guidance on how to prevent the spread of Japanese knotweed, as well as how to treat and dispose of it, which can be found on GOV.UK: How to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading - GOV.UK.
Recognising the limitations of manual removal Defra, in partnership with the Welsh Government and Natural England, is funding scientists at the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) to conduct biological control (biocontrol) research into the use of naturally occurring, living organisms to tackle Japanese knotweed and other invasive, non-native plants. Biocontrol could provide a more cost- and time-effective way of managing these invasive plants. This research has identified the psyllid (a sap-sucking insect), Aphalari itadori, as a biological control agent for tackling Japanese Knotweed. Information about the research can be found on CABI's website.
Defra is providing funding for land managers to control and manage Japanese knotweed and other invasive plant species through the Environmental Land Management (ELM) Countryside Stewardship scheme. Further information can be found on GOV.UK: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier actions - GOV.UK.
Defra is not providing specific support or ring-fenced funding to Local Authorities for Japanese Knotweed control. Local Authorities decide their priorities for widespread invasive species management locally.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures to control the spread of Japanese knotweed.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the impacts caused by invasive species, including Japanese knotweed. Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This makes it an offence to cause Japanese knotweed to grow in the wild.
In England Government has developed guidance on how to prevent the spread of Japanese knotweed, as well as how to treat and dispose of it, which can be found on GOV.UK: How to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading - GOV.UK.
Recognising the limitations of manual removal Defra, in partnership with the Welsh Government and Natural England, is funding scientists at the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) to conduct biological control (biocontrol) research into the use of naturally occurring, living organisms to tackle Japanese knotweed and other invasive, non-native plants. Biocontrol could provide a more cost- and time-effective way of managing these invasive plants. This research has identified the psyllid (a sap-sucking insect), Aphalari itadori, as a biological control agent for tackling Japanese Knotweed. Information about the research can be found on CABI's website.
Defra is providing funding for land managers to control and manage Japanese knotweed and other invasive plant species through the Environmental Land Management (ELM) Countryside Stewardship scheme. Further information can be found on GOV.UK: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier actions - GOV.UK.
Defra is not providing specific support or ring-fenced funding to Local Authorities for Japanese Knotweed control. Local Authorities decide their priorities for widespread invasive species management locally.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support landowners in (a) managing and (b) eradicating Japanese knotweed.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the impacts caused by invasive species, including Japanese knotweed. Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This makes it an offence to cause Japanese knotweed to grow in the wild.
In England Government has developed guidance on how to prevent the spread of Japanese knotweed, as well as how to treat and dispose of it, which can be found on GOV.UK: How to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading - GOV.UK.
Recognising the limitations of manual removal Defra, in partnership with the Welsh Government and Natural England, is funding scientists at the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) to conduct biological control (biocontrol) research into the use of naturally occurring, living organisms to tackle Japanese knotweed and other invasive, non-native plants. Biocontrol could provide a more cost- and time-effective way of managing these invasive plants. This research has identified the psyllid (a sap-sucking insect), Aphalari itadori, as a biological control agent for tackling Japanese Knotweed. Information about the research can be found on CABI's website.
Defra is providing funding for land managers to control and manage Japanese knotweed and other invasive plant species through the Environmental Land Management (ELM) Countryside Stewardship scheme. Further information can be found on GOV.UK: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier actions - GOV.UK.
Defra is not providing specific support or ring-fenced funding to Local Authorities for Japanese Knotweed control. Local Authorities decide their priorities for widespread invasive species management locally.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the (a) Landscape Recovery and (b) Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship schemes will be re-opened for applications.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
A) The Government reconfirmed its commitment to Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes in the recent Spending Review. Landscape Recovery projects that were awarded funding in rounds one and two are continuing, and we are moving into the delivery phase with the first round of projects. Plans for a third round of Landscape Recovery will be confirmed in due course.
B) Defra is rolling out the improved Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme this year. We have invited farmers and land managers to begin the pre-application process. There will be opportunities for other farmers and land managers to access CSHT in the future. More details on the timing and approach to widening applications will be published later this year.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has (a) evaluated the outcomes of the Invasive Species Management Fund and (b) considered (i) renewing the fund, (ii) establishing a successor scheme and (iii) providing (A) funding and (B) support for National Parks to lead invasive species control activity in their areas.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Over the last two years, Defra has funded twelve Local Action Groups (LAGs) across all regions in England to control invasive species through its Local Invasive Species Management Fund. The funding period has now come to an end and Defra is currently evaluating the outcomes of the fund. Whilst Government is unable to renew the fund or establish a successor scheme at this time, it is continuing to look for ways to support the control of widespread invasive species. For example, funding is available for invasive species control through the Environmental Land Management Countryside Stewardship scheme.
Government is providing £45.2 million of core funding to the 10 National Park Authorities. We have also extended programmes such as Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL), providing £30 million to support projects in our National Landscapes and National Parks, until March 2026. Funding is not ringfenced for invasive species control as National Park Authorities decide their priorities locally, but since the FiPL programme launched in 2021 it has funded actions to control invasive species on around 15,000ha of land managed in Protected Landscapes.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the support provided by the Rural Payments Agency for (a) new and (b) young farmers who apply for funding under new environmental land management schemes.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) administer agreements and issue payments for Countryside Stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). Both a) new and b) young farmers were eligible to apply for agreements under the SFI Expanded Offer, whilst the scheme was open for applications until March 2025. RPA issues a range of supporting communications including online 'how to apply' videos and regularly shares reminders and updates across their channels. Direct communications are issued to agreement holders, and the Rural Payments Helpline is available Monday - Friday.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme in Bromsgrove.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Agreements under the Countryside Stewardship scheme in the Bromsgrove Parliamentary Constituency area contain 2,139 hectares of land as of 2024. The scheme supports a range of enhanced environmental outcomes from restoring wildlife habitats, creating woodlands to managing flood risk.
Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier is expected to continue to deliver a range of environmental benefits to farmers when it opens to new applications.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 50256 on Farms: Lancashire, what the start date of the new Higher Tier scheme will be; and how farmers can apply.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra will open the rolling application window for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) later in the year. Currently, CSHT is by invitation only following contact by Natural England or the Forestry Commission. This ensures that bespoke pre-application advice is provided to support those invited. We have published information that sets out what you can do now to prepare to apply for CSHT on GOV.UK. (Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier: preview guidance - GOV.UK).
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to provide (a) funding and (b) support for the control of (i) Himalayan Balsam, (ii) Japanese Knotweed and (iii) other invasive non-native species in the (A) Yorkshire Dales National Park and (B) River Lune catchment area; and whether his Department plans to implement a coordinated approach to enable management at the head of the catchment to prevent downstream spread.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the threats posed by invasive species including Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed and has a comprehensive Great Britain Non-native Species Strategy designed to co-ordinate action to tackle these threats.
Himalayan balsam is listed as a ‘Species of Special Concern’ under the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019, which means that it cannot be brought into GB, kept, bred, transported, sold, used or exchanged, allowed to reproduce, grown or cultivated, or released into the environment. This legislation is aimed at preventing further introduction and spread of these species. Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This makes it an offence to cause Japanese knotweed to grow in the wild.
Funding is available for control and management of Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and other invasive species through Defra’s Environmental Land Management Countryside Stewardship scheme. Over the last two years, Defra has funded twelve Local Action Groups (LAGs) across all regions in England to control invasive species through its Local Invasive Species Management Fund. The two-year fund, totalling just over £300,000, was used by LAGs mostly to remove invasive plants including Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed. Most of these projects also involved training volunteers, awareness-raising and community engagement.
In partnership with the Welsh Government and Natural England, Defra is funding specialist scientists at the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), an inter-governmental, not-for-profit organisation, to conduct biological control (biocontrol) research into the use of naturally occurring, living organisms to tackle Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed and other invasive, non-native plants. Biocontrol could provide a more cost- and time-effective way of managing these invasive plants as compared to manual removal.
The Government has also developed guidance on how to prevent the spread of Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and other invasive non-native plants, and how to treat and dispose of them, which can be found on GOV.UK:
How to stop invasive non-native plants from spreading - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).