Single payment and ELS for land without payments

The Problem

An Estate in the south west operated a successful contract farming arrangement which had been in place for a number of years.  Outside of this the Estate had other land including heathland and extensive woodland.

The Solution

We were retained to assist with the overseeing of the Contract Farming Agreement.  However, we identified a further financially rewarding situation.
We registered all land on the Rural Land Registry and submitted the Single Payment Schemes for the initial years of 2005 to gain the entitlements.  Separate holding numbers were created for the Estate and the contract farming arrangement.  The woodland was entered into the Entry Level Stewardship Scheme (ELS) to gain additional points.  Careful liaison with the Estate’s shooting department ensured that the Cross Compliance and ELS requirements could be adhered to within current shooting practices.

The Result

The land outside the contract farming arrangement now attracts a separate Single Payment which will increase year on year being at the flat rate payment.  Additionally, ELS monies have been generated on all woodland areas.  As a consequence the Estate will enjoy an income stream of around £45/50,000 per annum when fully implemented.