Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS)
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What are the key features of OELS?
- The aim is to encourage a large number of organic farmers across a wide area of farmland to deliver simple yet effective environmental management.
- Similar to ELS but recognises the greater environmental benefit that organic farming systems deliver.
- The land to be entered into the scheme must be farmed organically and registered with an approved Organic Inspection Body before an application to OELS is made.
- Is a voluntary, non-competitive scheme.
- Payment of £60 per hectare, per year on land registered with an Organic Inspection Body.
- Aid for converting conventionally farmed improved land and established top-fruit orchards (planted with pears, plums, cherries and apples, excluding cider apples) is also available as a top-up to OELS payments. Payment rates are £175 per hectare per year for two years for improved land and £600 per hectare per year for three years for established top fruit orchards.
- Farmers with a mix of organic and conventional land can apply for OELS on their OELS eligible land and ELS on the remainder at the applicable ELS payment rates as part of one, whole farm, OELS agreement.
- Five year agreements with payments sent out every six months.
- You will receive a payment of £60 per hectare per year for all the organic land you enter into the scheme. In return for these payments, you will be required to deliver 60 'points' worth of management options per hectare of this organic land.
- OELS is administered by Natural England from their North West regional office at Crewe.
Page last modified:
9 October, 2008
Page published: 3 March, 2005