2023 BPS application submissions is now closed for submissions without penalty (Monday, 15th May 2023). This is the last year in which your entitlements will be active, and following this year you will be paid by BPS delinking from 2024 to 2027, which will be based on your claims from 2020 to 2022 and is no longer linked to occupation of the land. However, it is still important to make a claim and be eligible for BPS in 2023 as otherwise you will not be paid this delinking payment.
Mid-Tier and Higher Tier Countryside stewardship agreements have been kept, with an increase to the revenue and capital items from the start of 2023. This follows a U-turn by DEFRA, meaning Countryside Stewardship will now sit alongside the new Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements which are only 3 years and can in some cases sit alongside existing countryside stewardship agreements.
The window for Mid-Tier applications opens shortly after BPS on the 21st March with a deadline for submissions slightly later this year on the 18th August. There is also the opportunity to submit CS Capital Grants applications all year round with an extended 3-year period to complete the capital works.
