UPLAND farmers only have until the end of July to apply for Uplands Entry Level Stewardship (UELS) before the scheme comes to an end.

David Morley, environmental adviser at H&H Land and Property, said if a farmer has land in the severely disadvantaged area (SDA) that is not in a UELS agreement, they should apply to join the scheme as soon as possible. The UELS scheme is open to all holdings with SDA land and offers an area-based payment of £62 per hectare – payment for land parcels larger than 15 hectares above the moorland line will be £23 and for land outside the SDA, £30.

Mr Morley said: “There is still time for farmers to access the scheme and they can probably do so without making significant changes to their practices.”

To apply, farmers must map all features of environmental interest, such as hedges, walls, ditches, archaeological features, in-field trees, traditional farm buildings, ponds and woodlands; select enough options to reach the required points target; and complete the application on paper or online.

Mr Morley said the best options are likely to include dry stone wall maintenance, but only complete walls can be used; low input grassland management, but this option is only possible where less than the equivalent of two cwt per acre of 20:10:10 fertiliser is used each year; haymaking, as long as fields are cut for hay or haylage after July 5; cattle grazing, but 30 per cent of livestock units (recorded on a field-byfield basis) need to be cattle to qualify; and hedgerow management, with cutting every two or three years.

Mr Morley said: “The points target is based on land area and as long as the target is met, a farm is guaranteed an agreement.

It is vital that farmers get professional advice so they choose the best options.”