Forestry Commission Annual Claims

11 May 2017

Forestry Commission Annual Claims 2017/18 deadline is 15 May

If you are the main applicant on one of the following grants with the Forestry Commission, you should have received a claim form:

  • Woodland Management Grant (WMG) from an EWGS contract
  • Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS)
  • Farm Woodland Payments (FWP) from an EWGS Woodland Creation Grant contact

We have also sent letters to the main contact which may be your agent.

Claim forms must be completed and returned to the Forestry Commission no later than the 15 May 2017 in order to avoid penalties being applied to your claim.

If you have one of the grants mentioned above but have not received a claim form please get in touch with your local Forestry Commission Admin Hub as soon as possible.

Countryside Stewardship (CS) Annual Claims

The deadline for submitting claims for Countryside Stewardship agreements with a start date of 1 January 2017 only, is being extended from the 15 May to the 15 June 2017. We encourage all customers to continue to submit their claims as soon as possible, and to claim online wherever possible.

The European Commission confirmed on 4 May 2017 that Member States could extend the deadline for farmers and other land managers to claim for payments under the Common Agricultural Policy by one month.

Which schemes does the 15 May deadline refer to?

The deadline of 15 May 2017 remains for all other multi-annual Agri-Environment agreement claims and forestry annual claims as below:

  • Mid Tier and Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship agreements which started before 1 January 2017
  • Entry Level and Higher Level Environmental Stewardship Agreements
  • Habitat Scheme agreements
  • English Woodland Grant Scheme (Woodland Management Grant and Farm Woodland Payment from a Woodland Creation Grant) and Farm Woodland Premium Scheme agreements

The deadline for submitting Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) claims also remains 15 May 2017.

For more information contact Natural England on 0300 060 3900 or email enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk.

More information is available on the following webpages:
Forestry Commission Annual Claims
Basic Payment Scheme
Countryside Stewardship