Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS)

The Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) is a new overarching government grant funding scheme for farmers, foresters, and land management. It is based on the principle of public money for public goods and, unlike BPS, it will no longer subsidise farmers for food production. 

Updated 15.01.24

It is split into three components that increase in complexity as you progress up the levels:

Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI)

The most basic component of ELMS, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) will financially reward farmers for employing environmentally sustainable land management practices. It will be split into different standards, with each standard relating to different aspects of land and farming.

Find out more about the Sustainable Farming Incentive >>

Countryside Stewardship Plus

Countryside Stewardship has successfully provided environmental benefit and will be developed to assist with Local Nature Recovery encouraging space for nature. Countryside Stewardship Plus will offer additional elements for joined up impacts across bigger areas. Schemes will aim to manage and create wildlife habitats, add trees and hedgerows, restore peatland and wetlands and restore coastal habitats.

Landscape Recovery 

Landscape Recovery is even bigger in scale and longer-term than Local Nature Recovery (sites from 500 ha to 5,000 ha and potentially involving 20-year agreements).

It will support more radical change to land use – for example by establishing nature reserves, restoring floodplains, or creating woodlands and wetlands. It is likely to involve a responsible body to monitor progress over time. Pilot schemes will be stablished this year, using two central themes (threatened native species recovery; and restoring waterbodies and improving water quality).

The Farming Investment Fund (FIF)

The Farming Investment Fund (FIF) is the strand of ELMS focussed on grants for capital expenditure, and it provides grants to enhance both farming productivity and the environment. 

It comprises the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund and the Farming Transformation Fund. 

Find out more about The Farming Investment Fund >>