In situations where an agreement holder cannot meet agreement requirements due to adverse weather conditions, they can ask Natural England for either a derogation under Environmental Stewardship (ES) or a Minor and Temporary Adjustment (MTA) under Countryside Stewardship (CS).
Natural England aims to respond as quickly as it can in dealing with these cases. It is encouraging agreement holders to get in contact as soon as possible, explaining the issue and the actions they would like to take, as they need to obtain their derogation or MTA before they need to make changes to agreement management.
Countryside Stewardship
Click here for the CS minor and temporary adjustment form or contact Natural England Delivery Services (customer number 0300 060 3900) to request the form.
More information on MTAs is in the CS MT manual, 6.20 on pages 64-65, and in the HT manual, 6.21 on pages 70-71.
ELS/HLS
For ELS/HLS, derogation forms are available on the GOV.UK website (click here for ELS, here for HLS). Alternatively call Natural England Delivery Services (customer number 0300 060 3900).
Where a derogation is given, such as for early cutting of hay, the agreement holder should ensure they avoid areas with ground nesting birds.