Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to confirm the date from which farmers currently in legacy Higher Level Stewardship agreements will be able to exit those agreements and enter Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier without repayment.

Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) customers can submit a request to end their existing agreement at any time during the calendar year, but they may need to repay any money received.

Defra will work with customers whose HLS agreements will expire over the next 2-3 years to support them to continue management of key habitats and to look at how delivery of these sites can be further enhanced.

More details about the further roll out of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) will be confirmed in due course, including which cohorts will be invited into CSHT next.