COMMONS EXCLUDED FROM ELM SCHEMES IN 2026!

The Foundation for Common Land has reported that Defra and the RPA have this week acknowledged there is no mechanism for common land to enter either SFI or CS Higher Tier schemes in 2026. FCL says that this is due to a lack of functionality in the Rural Payments Service computer system and there are currently no plans to offer a non-computerised application process.  Defra and the RPA have stated there is no guarantee this situation will change in 2027 leaving hundreds of thousands of hectares of common land and shared grazing either in no schemes or stuck in lower paying old HLS schemes. Defra has confirmed there is no intention to increase HLS payment rates to match CSHT payment rates so commoners and the owners of common land are being asked to deliver the same environmental outcomes for a lower rate than on non-common land.  This news comes on top of the withdrawal of the SFI moorland survey from the 2026 scheme. We will be supporting the Foundation for Common Land in their campaign to get Defra to develop an application process for commons and you can read the FCL statement here.