Grant or payment · England
Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT)
Long-term agreement for complex habitat and nature work; at the moment you can only ask to join (express an interest) for four topics.
- From
- Defra / Natural England / Forestry Commission / RPA
- How much
- Varies by the actions and capital items in the agreement. Example capital rates: TE7 tree guard £121.62, TE8 £74.74, TE19 £35.67 per guard.
- Who can apply
- Farmers and land managers in England. Expression of interest currently covers: woodland improvement (needs an approved woodland management plan), agroforestry (needs an approved agroforestry plan and trees already planted), species-rich grassland (must meet CGS22) and scheduled monument management (monument must be on MAGIC).
- Opens
- 10 September 2025
What you’ll need
- Rural Payments service login and SBI
- Approved woodland management plan or agroforestry plan (for those topics)
- SSSI consent if on SSSI land
- Land use codes matching land cover
How to apply
- Read the CSHT guidance
- Fill in the online expression of interest form - one form per topic and per site
- Wait up to 10 weeks to hear if you are invited to apply
The GOV.UK pages do not give a closing date and do not say in so many words that the form is 'open'; the EOI page was updated 19 October 2026 and the funding page lists it as accepting expressions of interest. Up to 1,200 single-focus agreements available at first (650 EOIs by 7 September 2026). Not on common land for now (technical issue). An EOI does not guarantee an agreement.
Similar schemes
- Hot and dry weather: temporary support for farmers in 2026 OpenDefra / RPALets you cut or graze agreement land, make firebreaks and delay sowing during drought without losing SFI, CS or HLS payments.
- Capital grants plans 2026 (PA1, PA2, PA4, PA5, PA7) Open all yearDefra / RPAPays for professional plans: implementation plan (PA1), feasibility study (PA2), agroforestry plan (PA4), moorland mapping (PA5) and species management plan (PA7).
- Higher Tier Capital Grants 2026 Open all yearDefra / RPAThree-year capital grants for environmental works (including agroforestry and woodland condition assessment) without needing a full Higher Tier agreement.
- Protection and Infrastructure grants 2026 Open all yearDefra / RPAGrants for woodland access tracks and for protecting crops and trees from beavers.
- Sustainable Farming Incentive 2027 offer Coming soonDefra / RPAThe next SFI offer the government says it will run in 2027.
- Delinked payments (replacing Basic Payment Scheme) AutomaticDefra / RPAYearly payment, based on your old BPS, being phased out by 2027.
Checked against the official pages on 29 October 2026. Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4. Always read the official page before you apply.