AEOS-Natura scheme details made available

FULL details have been issued for the Agri-Environment Options and Natura 2000 Scheme, which came into operation last week. Farmers in the organic farming scheme may participate in, and draw down, payment under these schemes – but farmers in REPS are ineligible.

AEOS contracts shall be for at least five years; rented land is not eligible for payment. Completed applications must be submitted no later than May 15, and farmers in the schemes must submit a payment claim annually.

Applicants who have Natura 2000 land, or non-Natura commonage, must choose specific actions, plus other actions determined by their planner. Specific actions are required for blanket bogs, heaths and upland grasslands; sand dune and machair areas; river SACs; wet grasslands, including callows, lowland, fens and marshes; and priority wild bird habitats.