Environmental markets are an emerging area of interest to farmers and exploring long-term land management agreements could offer an additional income stream for landowners/land managers, alongside their farming income.

However, before entering into an agreement, you need be aware of a number of potential issues. Any agreement is likely to be a long-term commitment that could impact on future land use and these impacts could potentially continue well beyond the duration of the initial agreement.

There could also be detrimental impacts, such as reducing land values or impacts on future earning potential once the agreement ends.

It is, therefore, important that landowners and land managers ensure that they fully understand the nature of the agreement being entered into, and consider whether the agreement in question is right for their specific situation.