Rural Payments and Services

For recent changes to this guidance, please see the bottom of the page.

The version of this page applicable to the AECS 2021 restricted round can be found in the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme full guidance archive.

Please note:

For all applications, only essential capital items will be accepted. For agri-environment type applications this would include:

• Capital items that are directly required to deliver the management option, such as the capital item Creation of Wild Bird Seed for Farmland Birds which is essential for the Wild Bird Seed for Farmland Birds option.
• Essential complimentary capital items, such as Creation of Wader Scrapes or Cutting of Rush Pasture.
• Capital items that are essential to deliver the outcome of your application.

It is not anticipated that applicants returning to the scheme from expired or expiring AECS contracts would seek funding for the same capital items in the same locations as in the original contract. The exception would be where the same capital item is required in order to deliver essential ongoing management under the new application.

If you received funding for fencing in a previous AECS round you cannot apply for remedial or replacement fencing in a new AECS application. Similarly, you cannot apply for remedial or replacement fencing under AECS if you have received funding for fencing under another SRDP mechanism such as the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme.

You cannot apply for fencing costs to facilitate rotational grazing.

Stock Fencing costs are not permitted for any wader, corncrake or corn bunting options. However, temporary electric fencing can be applied for under these options where it is justified to deliver management. Temporary electric fencing comes under the Scare and Temporary Electric fencing capital item.

For Wild Bird Seed for Farmland Birds and Forage Brassica Crops for Farmland Bird only Temporary electric fencing can be used to enable management where that management is rotated around the farm over the contract period. The temporary electric fencing can then be re-used to enable management on subsequent plots. Fencing for forage brassica crops is only available where the site will be grazed by livestock

Stock fencing with these options will only be considered where a robust justification can be demonstrated by the applicant business.

For fences funded in the early rounds of the Rural Priorities Scheme or comparable previous schemes up to 2014 that are not expected to last another five years, applications can be considered for fencing costs on stretches of fence needing replaced subject to a site visit by the case officer to confirm the costs are justifiable. We recommend you seek advice before submitting your application.

Organic Conversion: As this option is to help farmers with the cost of converting their land to organic systems, capital items such as stock fences are not normally eligible. An exception may be made where the land was previously under a continually cropped arable system which is being converted to an organic system where grass and grazing are being re-introduced. Consequently you must supply a justification for any capital items applied under Organic Conversion, detailing why these should be considered as exceptional by the case officer.

Organic Maintenance: as this option supports the cost of maintaining an organic management system, capital costs are not eligible.