The English Uplands
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Common Agricultural Policy (Single Payment Scheme) Environmental Stewardship Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 |
The majority of the English uplands can be found in the north and south-west of England, with a small amount in the counties along the Welsh border. They are nationally and internationally important for biodiversity, as well as being of significant agricultural, landscape, archaeological, recreational, cultural and natural resource value. Agriculture activity has played a large part in shaping these valuable upland landscapes, and continues to provide many of the tools with which to manage them. Further information on land designations within the uplands and map of the Less Favoured Areas.
Specific Upland funding
The Hill Farm Allowance (HFA) is a specific support measure for hill farmers in the English uplands, in recognition of the greater difficulties they face in farming these areas. It is administered by the Rural Payments Agency. The HFA will continue in 2008 and 2009, after which uplands support would be fully integrated into Environmental Stewardship, through a specific uplands strand of the Entry Level Environmental Stewardship scheme (Uplands ELS). Further information on specific upland funding.
Grazing Management
Overgrazing, undergrazing and unsuitable supplementary feeding practices can all damage the biodiversity and landscape of our semi-natural grassland, heathlands and woodlands. Grazing management is therefore an essential tool in both the uplands and lowlands of England. Further information on grazing management.
Heather and Grass Burning
The heather and grass burning legislation and code of practice also aim to maintain and enhance the semi-natural environment. While this is predominantly affects uplands areas, it also applies to the lowlands. These aim to provide a contribution to the development of biodiversity by the availability of habitats, and also help in the maintenance of a sustainable upland environment. Further information on heather and grass burning.
Common Land
The majority of common land in England is located within the Uplands. There are over 1,400 designated common land sites representing some 305,000 hectares of land. Further information on common land policy.
Latest Developments
- Defra is consulting informally on the draft proposals for Uplands ELS over the summer. They are holding, with Natural England, a series of meetings with the hill farming community from late August. An informal document [PDF] (107 KB) seeking views on the proposed design of Uplands ELS was issued on 11 August 2008, seeking responses by 17 September 2008. It is aimed primarily at stakeholder organisations, but views are welcome from anyone wishing to respond. The proposals are also being tested on 60 hill farms.
- On 21 July 2008 the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed that a new uplands strand of the Entry Level Environmental Stewardship scheme would replace the Hill Farm Allowance in 2010. Defra will be seeking views from the hill farming community and testing the “Uplands ELS” proposals with a range of hill farms over the summer. For further information please see the press notice and accompanying Q&A.
- The Rural Payments Agency has issued a correction to the stocking density calculation for HFA 2008 to replace Annex A of the explanatory booklet published for HFA 2008.
Consultations
- Future upland support - The public consultation on the successor to the Hill Farm Allowance closed on 22 May 2006. 88 responses were received and have been considered. A summary on the Uplands Reward Structure (URS) is available on the URS consultation webpage.
Reports and Statistics
- Hill Farming Economics – various Defra reports:
- 2005/06 Farm Business Survey – Hill Farming in England – June 2007
- An evaluation of the relative difficulty encountered by upland and lowland grassland farmers in entering ELS (CSL report) – March 2007
- An Assessment of the impacts of hill farming in England on the Economic, Environmental and Social Sustainability of the uplands and more widely – report by the Institute of European Environmental Policy (IEEP) 2004
- Economic Valuation of Environmental Impacts in the Severely Disadvantaged Areas – report by the Economics for the Environment Consultancy Ltd. (eftec) 2005
- Assessment of CAP reform and other key policies on upland farms and land use implications in both Severely Disadvantaged Areas and Disadvantaged Areas of England – report by Cumulus Countryside and Rural Consultants Ltd 2005
- Classification of hill land
- The Economics of Extensive Livestock Grazing post CAP reform – report by ADAS 2005
- Social capital of traditional hill farming - report by the International Centre for the Uplands - 2005
Contacts/Links
Page last modified:
17 September, 2008
Page published: 24 February, 2005