Rural Payments and Services

AECS 2022

AECS has been extended and will have an annual application round until 2024.

The 2022 Agri-Environment Climate Scheme application round will open on Monday 24 January and close on Friday 29 April 2022, with a few exceptions (see below).

The closing date is extended to Tuesday 31 May 2022 for collaborative applications that meet the following requirements:

• It must be a completely new collaborative project and not simply a continuation of one which was previously funded through AECS;
• The project must include five or more 2022-round applications from RPID registered businesses

This is in recognition of the additional time involved to facilitate collaborative action with many businesses.

Applications for Slurry Storage can be made during the main AECS window (Monday 24 January 2022 to Friday 29 April 2022); however, the deadline for stand-alone slurry store applications is Friday 24 June 2022.

For applications for Improving Public Access (IPA), there is a separate opening period, Monday 28 February 2022 to Friday 29 April 2022 inclusive

Please note the AECS pages on the Rural Payments Services website are currently being updated and will be available in time for the relevant opening dates noted above.

A list of the guidance changes for the 2022 round will be available at that time and applicants should acquaint themselves with latest guidance before preparing/ submitting an application.

Updated webpages will have a date of November 2021 or later.

If you receive a 2021 round contract for part of your holding, you will not be disadvantaged if you then apply in 2022 for other parts of the holding.

The 2021 contract will be taken into account when assessing your 2022 application. The 2022 application round will be a full round.

Further important information about the 2022 round is provided below:

1. Most agri-environment applications will require a full Farm Environment Assessment covering the entire holding, as in the 2019 round, rather than the more restricted FEA required in 2021.

2. Most agri-environment applications require one or more management plans (e.g. a moorland management plan or a grazing plan). Due to concerns about plans lacking adequate information, new plan templates are being provided for the 2022 round. These will be available in January. It will be mandatory to use these and to provide all the information specified. In particular, you must provide up-to-date habitat assessments and grazing regime details.

3. If applying for the Wader options, a wader management plan must be completed. The wader plan template will be a simplified version of the one used in 2021.

4. If you intend to apply for management to benefit a designated site (SSSI or European site) you are strongly advised to contact NatureScot before preparing your application. Also, you are strongly advised to contact NatureScot if you are considering applying for deer management. You should make contact as early as possible and at least a month before the closing date to allow time for a response. The same applies if you require a NatureScot endorsement to allow you to apply for an option outwith its target area.

5. The IPA guidance for applicants will be refreshed prior to the next round opening and NatureScot will be running a webinar to demystify IPA and the application requirements in February. There will be minor changes made to IPA 2022 to improve the score criteria and capital item requirements and the option for semi-bound new paths will not be available. Potential applicants must ensure they have a statement from the planning authority regarding the need, or otherwise for planning permission for their proposals, we recommend early dialogue.

Any queries about IPA should be sent to IPA@nature.scot

AECS 2021

AECS opened a restricted round for new applications on 25 of January 2021 which closed on 2 July 2021.

Applicants were advised to read the full scheme guidance, the list of guidance changes that have been made for the 2021 application round and the rules and supporting information for individual options and capital items before applying. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions that have been raised in regard to applying to AECS in 2021 were provided below.

Full scheme guidance.

Rules and supporting information

Management options

Capital items

Also, supporting information is available which provides recommendations and best practice in relation to the why, where, how and what for each option and capital item. Your application could gain additional points if you follow these.

List of guidance changes for the 2021 round.

AECS 2021 FAQ

The 2021 round was restricted to the following categories or application types:

Organic Farming

• Organic conversion throughout Scotland
• Organic maintenance throughout Scotland

Protected Areas (designated sites) i.e. SSSIs and European sites* (*formally known as Natura sites)

Management that will directly benefit the qualifying features of designated sites - these are SSSIs and European Sites (SACs and SPAs). These sites contain a list of qualifying features (which can be found through SiteLink). Your applications must demonstrate how the management proposed will directly benefit these features. The management will normally be within the designated site boundary, but occasionally features such as birds or freshwater may also require works outwith the site boundary.

Please note: You can apply for any options which will directly benefit the qualifying features. However, if an option is not listed below for your holding you can only apply for it if you have obtained an endorsement from NatureScot (formerly SNH) before applying to AECS. If you received a NatureScot (SNH) endorsement for your 2015 or 2016 round contract for the same option on the same land, please submit this with your 2021 application.

You are strongly advised to speak with staff from NatureScot before preparing an application for a designated site.

Management for Priority Bird Species outwith designated sites

Corncrakes and Corn bunting

• Corncrakes – Applications for the benefit of corncrakes are restricted to the corncrake target areas shown in this map and these options:

Corncrake Mown Grassland, Corncrake Grazing Management, Management of Cover for Corncrake, Creation of Cover for Corncrakes, Cattle Management on small units (while cattle retention is available to all eligible applicants, the Introduction of cattle is restricted to applicants who have not had an AECS contract) and Conservation Management of small units supplement

• Corn Bunting – Applications for the benefit of corn buntings are restricted to the corn bunting target areas shown in this map and these options:

Corn Buntings Mown Grassland, Wild Bird Seed for Farmland Birds, Grass Strips in Arable Fields, Beetlebanks, Retention of Winter Stubbles for Wildlife and Water Quality, Unharvested Conservation Headlands for Wildlife, Forage Brassica Crops for Farmland Birds and Species rich grassland management, Cattle Management on small units (while cattle retention is available to all eligible applicants, the Introduction of cattle is restricted to applicants who have not had an AECS contract) and Conservation Management of small units supplement.

Farmland waders from established grassland wader projects

Applications for wader management (where waders are not a feature of a designated site), are restricted to land within a recognised wader project (a list of these projects and associated map can be found here). Applications must include written support from their project officer.

The management options and capital items which can be included in applications are limited to: Wader Grazed Grassland, Wader & Wildlife Mown Grassland, Wader management on heath mosaics (land previously managed under AECS Moorland Management is not eligible for this option), Creation of Wader Scrapes, Cutting of rush pasture, Wetland Creation, Wetland Management. Cattle Management on small units (while cattle retention is available to all eligible applicants, the Introduction of cattle is restricted to applicants who have not had an AECS contract) and Conservation Management of small units supplement. No fencing costs will be supported

Slurry Storage

• Applications for slurry storage provision in priority water quality catchments

Improving Public Access

Applications to improve public access can be made for all of rural Scotland, as defined by the Scottish Governments Urban/Rural Scotland land classifications 5 & 6. The capital items that can be included in an application include new and upgraded paths, drainage, gates, signage, seating, bridges, steps, boardwalk and gabion basket retaining walls. All items have a fixed cost payment rate. IPA information can be found on the Improving Public Access page.

Suspension of muirburn lifted

Paragraphs 32 and 33 of Schedule 7 of the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 provided the regulatory powers to suspend Section 23 of The Hill Farming Act 1946 which permits ‘a person to make muirburn on land only during the muirburn season’.

However, provision has been put in place to enable the ‘Muirburn suspension’ to be lifted and this took effect from 1 October 2020. As such AECS contract holders with muirburn in their contract can resume muirburn operations from 1 October. You must follow the relevant Coronavirus guidance regarding staying at home and, as and when lockdown is eased you must follow the guidance on working outdoors. Please contact your case officer, if you require to discuss this matter further.

It should be noted that the ability to carry out muirburn may change if the suspension powers of Paragraphs 32 and 33 of Schedule 7 of the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 are reverted to at a future date. A further update will be communicated, when appropriate.

Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020

Suspension of Schedule 7, Paragraph 32 and 33

If you need any help or assistance to use this guidance, you can book an appointment at your local area office.

Book an appointment at your local office, if you need any help or assistance to use this guidance.

Please note the following elements which have been introduced to increase the effectiveness of the scheme.

1. Targeting of support under the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme

To maximise environmental outcomes and ensure value for money, support under the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme is geographically targeted. This means you need to check which options are available in your area before applying.

If you wish to apply for some of the options listed above for the 2021 round but they are not listed under your holding in the targeting tool please contact your local NatureScot or RPID team to discuss this matter further.

Check which options and items are available on your holding

2. Farm Environment Assessments

For the restricted AECS 2021 application round the Farm Environment Assessment (FEA) requirement is different to that from previous years.

For the following application types;

• Applications to benefit protected areas (SSSIs and Natura sites)
• Applications to benefit waders, corn buntings or corncrakes

you are not required to complete a whole farm or holding environmental assessment, you should instead provide;

1. A contextual map showing the farm boundary and the location of all proposed management. For protected area applications please also show the protected area boundary.

and;

2. Farm Environment Management Map

(on smaller locations these maps can be one and the same e.g. where the boundary and the required management detail can be provided on a single map).

For Slurry Storage, Organic Conversion and Maintenance and Improving Public Access applications please refer to the option guidance for requirements for the respective options.

Slurry Storage

Funding for slurry storage is available.

Slurry Storage

The scoring criteria for slurry storage applications takes account of priority catchment type, age of existing store and volume of additional storage to be provided at applicants own cost in order to bring the total storage capacity up to 6 months.

A simple search tool is available to identify the relevant catchment type/name for a given farm code. Before using the catchment tool you must check that slurry storage is available on the farm code where the work is proposed by checking on the AECS targeting tool.

Note that some farm codes around the boundary of designated NVZ areas may be incorrectly showing as eligible for slurry storage.

If a farm code is known to have land in a designated NVZ area the eligibility for slurry storage should be checked with the relevant area office before commencing an application.

For further AECS updates from the rest of the year and from previous application windows, please check our updates page.

In 2021 AECS is open to farmers, groups of farmers and other land managers with land in Scotland and who are registered with us and have a Business Reference Number and meet the specific entry criteria.

You must be able to demonstrate that you have the legal right to carry out the projects to be funded for the length of the contract and any associated monitoring period.

To maximise environmental outcomes and ensure value for money, support under the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme is geographically targeted. This means that you must meet the entry criteria for the scheme in 2021 and be in the target area for the options you intend to apply for. You will need to check which options are available in your area before applying.

You can check which options and capital items you are eligible to apply for by entering your Holding Code. If you have several holdings, you will need to enter each of these separately.

Further information

More information on eligibility can be found in the Eligibility and Ownership of land sections of the full scheme guidance.

There are two levels of entry to this scheme and applications falling into each category will be assessed as follows.

• Level 1 - this is for lower value applications up to an agreed monetary value for the round. This agreed value is dependent on the amount and value of the applications received. Applications for this level will undergo an initial assessment by a case officer including a discussion with you. The discussion may take place during an on-farm visit, depending on the options you have applied for. Your application is then considered by the Rural Payments and Inspections Division or NatureScot (formally Scottish Natural Heritage) for approval or rejection.
• Level 2 - this if for higher value applications above an agreed monetary value for the round. This agreed value is dependent on the amount and value of the applications received. Applications for this level will undergo an initial assessment as per level one. After assessment the case will be considered by an expert panel constituted on a national basis for approval or rejection.

Applications will be scored against selection criteria.

More information on selection criteria can be found in the How to apply, Application assessment and Scoring criteria sections of the full scheme guidance.

To apply to this scheme, you will first need to register with and then log in to Rural Payments and Services.

Register

To ensure an effective use of scheme funds, you will normally be limited to a single application per year. However, an exception will apply for the management of designated sites, as well as for certain situations where land managers have widely separated areas of land.

More information on applications can be found in the following sections of the full scheme guidance:

How to apply

What you need to apply

Designations

Mapping

Farm Environment Assessment

Diffuse pollution risk assessment

Endorsements

Funding under this scheme

Double funding and option incompatibility

If your application to the scheme is successful, you will be issued with a contract up to five-years setting out the approved work you can claim funding for.

You can submit your claim for the funding set out in the contract on completion of the work. Management options on your contract must be declared on your Single Application Form by the agreed date, on an annual basis, for the duration of your contract.

Capital items are claimed separately on the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme capital claim form and can only be claimed once you have completed the work.

Any capital expenditure incurred before you have received a contract is not eligible for payment.

More information on claims can be found in the Claims and payments section of the full scheme guidance.

Management option payments

Payments for management options will be paid annually in the year following submission of your Single Application Form.

For example, if you submit a claim in 2022 payment will be made in 2023.

Capital item payments

Payments for capital items will be made upon receipt of a valid claim with any relevant supporting documentation and following any inspection or administrative checks that may be required.

You will receive payment by BACS into your nominated bank account. All payments will be made in sterling.

More information on payments can be found in the Claims and payments section of the full scheme guidance.

If your application to join the scheme is successful, you will be subject to our inspections programme.

It is a condition of entry to this scheme that you must allow us to inspect your holding to check that the scheme rules are being met.

Inspections to check compliance will be carried out on a percentage of claims, chosen by risk analysis, prior to payment. Inspection visits will be co-ordinated by the relevant organisations to help reduce disruption at your farm or business.

More information on inspections can be found in the Inspections section.

Specific information on inspections for management options and capital items is included on each option or item page.

If we discover that you have not followed the contract terms and conditions, we will call this a breach.

A breach can be identified in a number of different ways for example:

• Through the automatic checking we carry out against your applications, claims, your land and allowances
• Through an inspection
• Following a check of the supporting documentation relating to a claim

More information on breaches and penalties relating to this scheme can be found in the full scheme guidance.

Breaches and penalties

Further information why we need to penalise breaches can be found below.

Disallowance and penalties

If you are not content with the approval decision relating to your application, you can request that we review the decision.

If you receive a decision to refuse, recover or reduce your payment, you may appeal this decision under the Rural Payments Appeal procedures.

If you are unhappy with our service as a whole, we have a dedicated complaints procedure to help you resolve this.

More information on reviews, appeals and complaints can be found in the following sections:

Reviews

Appeals

Complaints

If you have any questions about this scheme, please get in touch. Contact details can be found in our Contact us section.

Contact (NatureScot)

Updates in the last month

Agri-Environment Climate Scheme - deadline extended

The decision has been made to extend the AECS application window deadline from Friday 12 April 2019 to Wednesday 17 April 2019.

For further AECS updates from the rest of the year and from previous application windows, please check our updates page.

The scheme is open to farmers, groups of farmers and other land managers with land in Scotland and who are registered with us and have a Business Reference Number.

You must be able to demonstrate that you have the legal right to carry out the projects to be funded for the length of the contract and any associated monitoring period.

To maximise environmental outcomes and ensure value for money, support under the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme is geographically targeted.

This means you will need to check which options are available in your area before applying.

You can check which options and capital items you are eligible to apply for by entering your Holding Code here. If you have several holdings, you will need to enter each of these separately.

More information on eligibility can be found in the Eligibility and Ownership of land sections of the full scheme guidance.

There are two levels of entry to this scheme and applications falling into each category will be assessed as follows.

• Level 1 - this is for lower value applications up to an agreed monetary value for the round. This agreed value is dependent on the amount and value of the applications received. Applications for this level will undergo an initial assessment by a case officer including a discussion with you. The discussion may take place during an on-farm visit, depending on the options you have applied for. Your application is then considered by the Rural Payments and Inspections Division or NatureScot (formally Scottish Natural Heritage) for approval or rejection.
• Level 2 - this if for higher value applications above an agreed monetary value for the round. This agreed value is dependent on the amount and value of the applications received. Applications for this level will undergo an initial assessment as per level one. After assessment the case will be considered by an expert panel constituted on a national basis for approval or rejection.

Applications will be scored against selection criteria.

More information on selection criteria can be found in the How to apply, Application assessment and Scoring criteria sections of the full scheme guidance.

To apply to this scheme, you will first need to register with and then log in to Rural Payments and Services.

Register

To ensure an effective use of scheme funds, you will normally be limited to a single application per year. However, an exception will apply for the management of designated sites, as well as for certain situations where land managers have widely separated areas of land.

More information on applications can be found in the following sections of the full scheme guidance:

How to apply

What you need to apply

Designations

Mapping

Farm Environment Assessment

Diffuse pollution risk assessment

Endorsements

Funding under this scheme

Double funding and option incompatibility

If your application to the scheme is successful, you will be issued with a contract up to five-years setting out the approved work you can claim funding for.

You can submit your claim for the funding set out in the contract on completion of the work. Management options on your contract must be declared on your Single Application Form by the agreed date, on an annual basis, for the duration of your contract.

Capital items are claimed separately on the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme capital claim form and can only be claimed once you have completed the work.

Any capital expenditure incurred before your application to the scheme has been submitted is not eligible for payment.

More information on claims can be found in the Claims and payments section of the full scheme guidance.

Management option payments

Payments for management options will be paid annually in the year following submission of your Single Application Form.

For example, if you submit a claim in 2022 payment will be made in 2023.

Capital item payments

Payments for capital items will be made upon receipt of a valid claim with any relevant supporting documentation and following any inspection or administrative checks that may be required.

You will receive payment by BACS into your nominated bank account. All payments will be made in sterling.

More information on payments can be found in the Claims and payments section of the full scheme guidance.

If your application to join the scheme is successful, you will be subject to our inspections programme.

It is a condition of entry to this scheme that you must allow us to inspect your holding to check that the scheme rules are being met.

Inspections to check compliance will be carried out on a percentage of claims, chosen by risk analysis, prior to payment. Inspection visits will be co-ordinated by the relevant organisations to help reduce disruption at your farm or business.

More information on inspections can be found in the Inspections section of this site.

Specific information on inspections for management options and capital items is included on each option or item page.

If we discover that you have not followed the contract terms and conditions, we will call this a breach.

A breach can be identified in a number of different ways for example:

• through the automatic checking we carry out against your applications, claims, your land and allowances
• through an inspection
• following a check of the supporting documentation relating to a claim

More information on breaches and penalties relating to this scheme can be found in the full scheme guidance.

Breaches and penalties

Further information why we need to penalise breaches can be found below.

Disallowance and penalties

If you are not content with the approval decision relating to your application, you can request that we review the decision.

If you receive a decision to refuse, recover or reduce your payment, you may appeal this decision under the Rural Payments Appeal procedures.

If you are unhappy with our service as a whole, we have a dedicated complaints procedure to help you resolve this.

More information on reviews, appeals and complaints can be found in the following sections:

Reviews

Appeals

Complaints

If you have any questions about this scheme, please get in touch. Contact details can be found in our Contact us section.

Contact (Rural Payments and Inspections Division)

Contact (NatureScot)