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Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Application 2018 Important information about your application – please read

About this form This application form must be used to apply for a Countryside Stewardship (CS) Higher Tier agreement in 2018 for a 1st January 2019 start date. It should be completed by all applicants.

Separate annexes (which Natural England will provide you with) also need to be completed for a Higher Tier application. The table below shows which annex needs to be completed for each type of Higher Tier application:

Higher Tier application

Annexes to complete (separate to this form)

Annex 1 Annex 2

Agri Environment with Woodland Support

Agri Environment without Woodland Support

Woodland Support only

You cannot include more than one SBI on an application form, however if you have a number of farms/sites that fall under one SBI you may choose to submit these on the same or separate forms. Your Natural England adviser will be able to help you with this decision.

Application windows The table below shows the calendar dates that apply for Higher Tier applications:

Higher Tier application Application window

Request an application pack 15th January – 9th March 2018

Completed application returned by 13th April 2018

It is recommended that you submit your application as early as possible within the window to allow time for any queries to be resolved.

Before you begin You will need the following documents:

a) A copy of the ‘How to complete the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier 2018 Application form’ guidance.

b) Annex 1 and/or 2, as applicable to the application you are submitting.

c) Farm Environment Record, Environmental Information and Option/Capital Items maps covering all of the land relating to your holding.

d) The relevant version of the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Manual.

e) If applicable only, land ownership and control form(s) and/or common land and shared grazing supplementary application form.

Natural England will provide documents a) to c). Documents d) and e) are available from the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Manual page (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-manual) on GOV.UK.

You will also need to ensure that all of the land parcels within your application are registered to your SBI on the Rural Payments service and any land changes are registered via RLE01 before 13 April 2018. Failure to register all land parcels may result in significant delays in finalising an agreement offer.

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How to fill in this form If filling in by hand, use black ink and CAPITAL LETTERS. Do not use pencil or felt-tip pen.

Do not cross through whole pages or remove pages.

If a mistake is made, do not use correction fluid. Make your alterations in capitals and black ink and initial and date them. For boxes with a ‘ or ‘x’, completely fill in the square box containing the mistake and add your initials and the date. Put an ’X’ or ‘’ in the correct box.

Returning your form Before returning your form please check that you have filled in all parts of the form, answered all questions that apply to you and attached all supporting documents.

Please submit your application (including your Higher Tier application form, annexes and maps, photographs and other supporting documents) as explained in the table below:

Higher Tier application Natural England/Forestry Commission

return address (and email)

Agri Environment (with or without Woodland Support)

Submissions can be made electronically (preferred) by sending your application to the email address shown in the letter sent with your application form. Please write ‘Higher Tier Agri Environment application 2018’ as the subject of your email.

Alternatively, applications can be posted to the Natural England site as shown in the letter sent with your application form.


Submissions can be made electronically (preferred) by sending your application to the email address shown in the letter sent with your application form. Please write ‘Higher Tier Woodland Support application 2018’ as the subject of your email.

Alternatively, applications can be posted to the Natural England site shown in the letter sent with your application form.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

You must sign your application and any supporting forms by hand. If you are submitting by email you will need to print out the relevant section(s)/form(s), sign them, scan them and enclose with the email. If you are submitting your application by post you will still need to email Annex 1 and/or 2 (as applicable) to the email address shown in the letter sent with your application form. Sam

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Application ID: AG Page 1 of 14 CSAPPF HT Application form 2018 v1 (01/18)

Countryside Stewardship - 2018

Higher Tier Application form

This form should be used if you wish to apply for a Countryside Stewardship (CS) Higher Tier Agri Environment or Woodland Support only agreement in 2018 for a 1st January 2019 start date. All applications received will be acknowledged. Electronic submissions will be acknowledged by email.

For Natural England use only

Office Location

Application ID AG Date Stamp

Form Type Higher Tier: AE/M/WO

Form Reference CSAPPF

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Section 1 – Applicant details

1. Single Business Identifier (SBI) number

2. Proposed agreement title (e.g. land or farm name)

3. Please complete the details of the proposed agreement holder.

(a) Applicant

Title (e.g. Mr/Mrs) Forename(s) Surname

(b) Business name

(c) Main correspondence address

Town

County

Postcode

(d) Landline telephone number

(e) Mobile telephone number

(f) Email address

(g) Please tick to indicate your preferred method of contact

Landline Mobile Email Letter

4. Main contact details if different from 3 above. Please go to Question 5 if you don’t need to fill in this section.

(a) Main contact’s name

Title (e.g. Mr/Mrs) Forename(s) Surname

(b) Business name

(c) Main correspondence address

Town

County

Postcode

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Section 1 – Applicant details continued

Main contact details continued:

(d) Landline telephone number

(e) Mobile telephone number

(f) Email address

(g) Please tick to indicate your preferred method of contact

Landline Mobile Email Letter

5. Vendor number (this information is needed for payments to be made)

6. County Parish Holding (CPH) number / /

7. Are you VAT registered?

No Yes

8. Applicant’s Legal trading status (tick one box)

Individual

Sole Trader

Cooperatives (e.g. IPS, Coop, CIC)

Private Limited Company (Ltd)

Public Limited Company (Plc)

Partnership (please specify type)

Charity (please add the Charities Commission registration number)

Public Sector Body (e.g. Government Departments, Local Authorities, Universities, Schools)

If you are a partnership please list all partners names below and if you are a Public Body, please tell us about your organisation:

Unincorporated Associations (e.g. those organisations that don’t fit the above. For example some Estates, Management Committees, Golf Clubs, Commoners Associations could be unincorporated).

Please specify type:

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Section 1 – Applicant details continued

9. I confirm that all of the land that I manage, including all land subject to a Rural Development

Programme agreement, has been registered on the Rural Land Register and that all of my land details held on the Rural Land Register as shown on the most recent set of maps I have received from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) are correct at the date of submitting this application

Yes

Or I have notified the RPA of any corrections required via an RLE1 form. Yes

10. (a) Do you have management control over all of the land being included in this application, for the duration of any commitments (which may extend beyond the agreement period), so that you can meet the Declaration and Undertakings in Section 4?

No Yes

If ‘Yes’, go to Question 11. If ‘No’ you must make a countersigned application (using a Countryside Stewardship Land Ownership and Control form available from your Natural England office or from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-land-ownership-and-control-form) with each landlord or other person who would take over your responsibilities should you cease to have management control over part/all of the land over the duration of any commitment (which may extend beyond the agreement period). Please complete Question 10 (b).

(b) Please tick to confirm that you have attached a Countryside Stewardship Land Ownership and Control form for each countersignatory required for this application.

Yes

(c) Are any of the countersignatories a public body? No

Yes

If ‘No’ go to Question 11. If ‘Yes’ and any of the countersignatories is a public body you must supply a copy of your tenancy agreement with this application. Please complete Question 10 (d).

(d) Please tick to confirm you have supplied a copy of your tenancy agreement. Go to Question 11.

Yes

11. (a) Are you a tenant?

No Yes

If ‘No’, go to Question 12, if ‘Yes’, please complete Question 11 (b).

(b) Do you have any obligations in your tenancy to carry out environmental management on the land in this application?

No Yes

If ‘No’, go to Question 12. If ‘Yes’, please complete Question 11 (c)

(c) Please tick to confirm you are not seeking funding for these activities in your application. Yes

12. (a) Is any of the land being included in this application common and/or shared grazing land?

No Yes

If ‘No’, go to Question 13. If ‘Yes’, please complete Question 12 (b).

(b) Please tick to confirm that you have read the Common land and shared grazing: supplement to the Countryside Stewardship Manual and have included a CS common land and shared grazing supplementary application form with your application. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-common-land-and-shared-grazing-supplementary-application

Yes

13. (a) Are you an agent (or partnership representative acting as an agent) completing and submitting this application on behalf of others?

No

Yes

If ‘No’ go to Section 2. If ‘Yes’, you and the individual(s) on whose behalf you are applying must give you permission to act on their behalf in Rural Payments before submitting this application. A guide to setting permissions in Rural Payments can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-authorise-an-agent

(b) Please tick to confirm that you have set the appropriate permission levels in Rural Payments for this business

Yes

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Section 2 – Proposed agreement details

14. Please tick one box only to indicate which type of Higher Tier agreement you are applying for:

Agri Environment without Woodland Support

Agri Environment with Woodland Support


15. (a) Have you held an Environmental Stewardship (ES) agreement on any of the

land parcels under your SBI in the last ten years?

No

Yes


(b) Please complete the table with details of any ES agreements which are still live.

Agreement number Expiry date

16. (a) Have you held an English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) agreement (excluding a Woodland Management Plan) on any of the land parcels under your SBI in the last ten years?

No Yes


(b) Please complete the table with details of any EWGS agreements which are still live.

Agreement number Expiry date

17. Are you currently receiving payment for either Farm Woodland Payments (FWP), Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS) or Farm Woodland Scheme (FWS)?

No Yes

18. Have you applied/will you apply for Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) on the land in this application in 2018?

No

Yes

If ‘No’, you MUST provide details in Annex 1 and/or 2 of BPS land use cover categories; these MUST be compatible with the land use of the parcels you are including in this application. If there are any parcels that you have not declared land use for on your BP5 form, or that you don't claim BPS for you MUST also provide these details in Annex 1.

Please tick to confirm you have done this.

Yes

19. (a) Does someone else claim Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments on any land parcels included within your application? If ‘No’, go to Question 20, If ‘Yes’ go to Question 19 (b)

No

Yes

(b) If ‘Yes’ please confirm whether you are the Landlord

Tenant

(c) Please tick to confirm that you have read Section 3.3.2 of the relevant version of the CS Higher Tier Manual on dual use and provided the required evidence with your application.

Yes

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Section 2 – Proposed agreement details continued

20. Excluding Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), do you receive or have you applied for

any other funding for the management of the parcels or boundaries in this application?

No

Yes

If ‘No’, go to Question 21. If ‘Yes’, please enter details of the other funding in the box below.

21. Land conditionally exempt from Inheritance Tax or Capital Gains Tax

Is any land included in this application designated by HM Revenue & Customs as national heritage property under the conditional exemption tax incentive (heritage property relief)?

No Yes

If ‘No’, go to Question 22. If ‘Yes’, please provide the name of the exempt property as it appears on HMRC website (http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/heritage/lbsearch.htm)

22. Is this application linked to a CS facilitation fund project?

No Yes

If ‘No’, go to Question 23. If ‘Yes’, please enter the facilitation fund project name:

23. Has a Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer previously given you any advice for

the land covered by this application? No Yes

If ‘No’, go to Question 24. If ‘Yes’, please enter their name and the name of the catchment:

24. Is your holding in a protected landscape, i.e. a National Park, Area of Outstanding

Natural Beauty or World Heritage Site?

No

Yes

If ‘No’, go to Question 25. If ‘Yes’, please enter its name:

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Section 2 – Proposed agreement details continued

25. Historic Environment

(a) Please complete the table below with details of any Historic Environment features and buildings known to you at this time from your Environment Information map, a previous HEFER response, or your own records.

Historic Environment

Number of parcels including feature

Designated historic and archaeological features (Scheduled Monuments, Battlefields or Registered Parks and Gardens)

Undesignated historic and archaeological features (SHINE) of high significance

Undesignated historic and archaeological features (SHINE) of medium or low significance, or features not identified on SHINE

Priority undesignated historic parklands

Buildings

Number of buildings being proposed

Designated and undesignated traditional farm buildings in need of maintenance

(b) Please tick to confirm that you have marked all parcels which support a Scheduled Monument on Annex 1a.

Yes

For Adviser use only: Yes No

SHINE High Significance

SHINE medium/low significance

26. Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

(a) Does your holding include any land designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest?

No Yes

If ‘No’, please go to Question 27. If ‘Yes’, please complete Question 26 (b).

(b) Please tick to confirm that you have marked all parcels on land designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on Annex 1a.

Yes

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Organic options: If you are not considering any organic options (OR1-5 or OT1-6) you do not need to complete Questions 27 to 34. Please go to Section 3 if you are applying for a CS Higher Tier Agri Environment agreement (with or without Woodland Support) and Section 4 if you are applying for a CS Higher Tier Woodland Support only agreement.

27. If the non-organic element of this application is unsuccessful, do you wish to continue with the organic element?

No Yes

28. Please tick to confirm that you have read and meet the definition of an ‘active farmer’ contained in the ‘The ‘Active Farmer’ Rule’ section of the ‘Basic Payment Scheme: Rules for 2018’ guidance.

Yes

29. (a) Are you registered with a Defra licensed Organic Control Body (OCB)? No Yes

If ‘Yes’, go to Question 30, if ‘No’, go to Question 29 (b):

(b) If you are not registered with an OCB and wish to convert (OR options) you must complete a Viability Plan and include it with your application. Please tick to confirm that

Yes

this has been done. Please note: You must be registered with an OCB and have an agreed Conversion Plan in place at the time of your first annual claim. You must also have a current Schedule and Certificate from the OCB that covers all relevant land parcels as this must be submitted with your claim form. Please go to Section 3 if you are applying for a CS Higher Tier Agri Environment agreement (with or without Woodland Support) and Section 4 if you are applying for a CS Higher Tier Woodland Support only agreement.

30. If you are considering the organic conversion options (OR1-5) you must have completed and agreed with your OCB a Conversion Plan for all land and business you are entering into CS. Please tick the box to confirm that this has been done.

Yes

31. Enter the name and address of your licensed OCB

Name

Address

Town

County

Postcode

32. Enter your Organic Licence number

33. Please tick to confirm that you have included copies of the current Schedule and Certificate from your CB that cover all relevant land parcels?

Yes

34. Date covered by Organic Certificate From: To:

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Section 3 – Environmental benefits

If you are applying for a CS Higher Tier Woodland Support only agreement you do not need to complete this section. Please go to Section 4.

35. Priority Habitat

(a) Are you intending to manage existing priority habitat in this application? No Yes

If ‘No’, please go to Question 36. If ‘Yes’, please complete Questions 35 (b) and (c).

(b) Please record the existing habitats on your holding that meet the priority habitat summary descriptions provided in the ‘Priority Habitat – summary descriptions’ guidance (available from www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-application-form) AND which you intend to manage under CS.

Habitat Amount

(in ha to two decimal places)

Lowland calcareous grassland

Lowland dry acid grassland

Lowland meadows

Purple moor-grass and rush pasture

Upland hay meadows

Calaminarian grassland

Upland calcareous grassland

Limestone pavement

Lowland Heath

Fragmented heath with restoration potential

Upland heath (heather moorland)

Blanket Bog

Mountain heath and willow scrub

Upland flushes, fens and swamps

Lowland fens

Reedbeds

Lowland raised bogs

Maritime cliff and slope

Coastal saltmarsh

Coastal sand dunes

Wood pasture and parkland

Traditional Orchards

Riparian habitats associated with priority lakes and rivers

Woodland (ancient semi-natural woodland and plantation woodland on ancient woodland sites)

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Section 3: Environmental benefits continued

(c) Please also record the following habitats on your holding which you intend to manage under CS.

Habitat

Amount (to two decimal places for ha &

metres only)

Unit of measurement

Semi-improved, flower-rich grassland with restoration potential

ha

Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh (where it has been identified as a scheme priority

ha

Arable Field Margins ha

Ponds number

Hedges metre

36. Habitat creation

(a) Are you interested in applying for habitat creation on your holding? No Yes

If ‘No’, please go to Question 37. If ‘Yes’, please complete Questions 36 (b).

(b) Please provide details of the habitat you wish to create and the area in hectares in the box below:

For Adviser use only:

Habitat Creation type Area (ha)

37. Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package

(a) Are you intending to apply for the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package in this application?

No

Yes

If ‘No’, please go to Question 38 If ‘Yes’, please complete Questions 37 (b) and (c).

(b) Are you willing to carry out the required management on at least 5% of your eligible land?

No

Yes

(c) Please tick to confirm that you have marked all parcels you wish to be considered for the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package on Annex 1a.

Yes

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Section 3: Environmental benefits continued 38. Priority Species

(a) Does the holding or land near to the holding support any known populations of priority species or species assemblages that require tailored management and advice?

No

Yes

If ‘No’, please go to Question 39. If ‘Yes’, please complete Questions 37 (b) to (d).

. (b) Which priority species are present?

(c) Which priority species assemblages are present e.g. Woodland Birds, Breeding Waders, Arable Plants?

. (d) Do you agree to carry out land management practices and capital works that meet the specific needs of these species?

No Yes

For Adviser use only: Yes No

Is any part of the holding or land adjacent to holding in a tetrad for a priority (s41) species with bespoke management needs?

Is any part of the holding in a tetrad for woodland bird assemblage?

Is any part of the holding in a tetrad for breeding wader assemblages?

Is any part of the holding in a tetrad for arable plant assemblages?

Is any part of the holding in a tetrad for farmland birds and/or wild pollinator assemblages

39. Run-off/soil erosion risk

(a) Is any of the land in the application at moderate to high risk from run-off or soil erosion?

No

Yes

If ‘No’, please go to Question 40. If ‘Yes’, please complete Questions 39 (b) and (c).

(b) Please tick to confirm that you have marked these fields on your Farm Environment Record (FER) map(s)

Yes

(c) Please tick to confirm that you have completed the ‘Run-off/soil erosion risk’ column in Annex 1a to show which parcels are at risk

Yes

40. Water quality and flood risk management

(a) Are you intending to apply for water quality and resource protection options and/or capital items?

No Yes

If ‘No’, please go to Question 41. If ‘Yes’, please complete Questions 40 (b) to (d).

(b) Please tick to confirm that you have marked all parcels, including yards and tracks, you wish to consider for water quality and resource protection options/capital items in the ‘Will Soil and Water/Resource protection options/capital items be used on this parcel?’ column on Annex 1a.

Yes

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Section 3: Environmental benefits continued Water quality and flood risk management continued

(c) Complete the table below for your application/holding, identifying the areas which are in a high, medium or low water quality priority area for each of the potential pollutants listed and which you intend to manage under CS.

Water quality issue

Priority

High (ha) Medium (ha) Low (ha)

Groundwater Nitrate

Surface Water Nitrate

Groundwater Pesticide

Surface Water Pesticide

Faecal Indicator Organisms

Sediment

Phosphate

Flood Catchment Risk Management

(d) Are you interested in applying for constructed wetlands or a large scale sediment trap?

No Yes

41. Native Breeds at Risk

Do you intend to apply for support for using Native Breeds at Risk to manage your habitats?

No Yes

42. Educational Access

Do you intend to apply for educational access support? No Yes

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Section 4 – Declaration and undertakings

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ

Before applying for a Countryside Stewardship agreement you must ensure that you have read and understood the relevant version of the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Manual which includes the Terms and Conditions (at Annex 1) and any supplements. If you are successful your agreement offer will set out the details of the Countryside Stewardship agreement, which you will need to adhere to should you accept the offer.

Declaration

I/We declare that:

The details I/we have provided in this form and Annex 1 and 2 (as applicable) are correct and I/we accept full responsibility for them.

The supporting documents and evidence supplied in relation to this application are correct and I/we accept full responsibility for them.

I/We have read and understood the requirements contained in the relevant version of the Countryside Stewardship Manual and any supplements and will abide by them for the duration of any CS agreement subsequently offered to and accepted by me/us.

Undertakings

In signing this form I/we undertake that I/we:

are capable and willing to fulfil the obligations which will be required of me/us if my/our application is successful;

will allow access to any land and any relevant records to which the application relates, to any authorised person for the carrying out of an inspection or audit in order to verify the accuracy of any information provided to Natural England and the Forestry Commission and to ensure compliance with this undertaking;

agree to disclose all information relevant to this application, provide any additional information as may be required by Natural England or inspectors or auditors and co-operate with or take part in any economic environmental or other monitoring and evaluation of the scheme (including any research and development studies) conducted by Natural England and the Forestry Commission or by anyone appointed by it for that purpose;

have full authority and capacity to represent and bind the applicant(s) named at Section 1 of this form

Warning: if you knowingly or recklessly make a false statement to obtain payments to yourself or others, you risk prosecution, termination of any resulting agreement and recovery of any money paid to you under the scheme. You may also be excluded from certain Rural Development schemes for up to two years.

I/We hereby apply for a Countryside Stewardship agreement as set out in this application form and the Annex(es).

Please note: If you are a partnership and the partners have not appointed an Application Submission Agent at Question 13 of Section 1 of the application form, all partners must sign below:

Signature Name (BLOCK letters) Capacity of signatory

(e.g. sole trader, company director, agent)

Date

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Section 4 – Checklist

Before returning your completed application form and supporting documents, please make sure that you have:

completed all relevant Sections of this application form including signing and dating Section 4

completed Annex 1 and/or 2 as appropriate

and where applicable:

completed Farm Environment Record (FER) map(s) for Agri Environment only or Agri Environment with Woodland Support

completed agreement map(s) for applications which include Woodland Support

completed CS Land Ownership and Control form(s)

completed CS common land and shared grazing supplementary application form

a copy of your tenancy agreement (if you have a public body landlord)

if someone else claims Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments on any land parcels included within your application please tick to confirm that you have provided the required evidence, specified at Section 3.3.2 of the relevant version of the Higher Tier manual, with your application..

attached any required supporting documents or evidence, or permissions and consents applied for

all photographs are labelled and dated in accordance with the published guidance, as applicable

Please enter the total number of continuation sheets attached in the box opposite

Using and sharing your information

The data controller is Natural England, 4th Floor, Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PX.

Your information will be stored and processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 or any future legislation. This Act gives you, as an individual, the right to know what data we hold on you, how we use it, with whom we share it and to ensure that it is accurate.

We will use the data for administering and analysing applications, agreements and claims under Countryside Stewardship. We will circulate and discuss it, in confidence, with those persons or organisations helping us to assess and monitor applications, agreements and claims. Some information will be shared with other grant distribution bodies and government departments, to enable them to detect fraudulent applications, agreements and claims and to co-ordinate the processing of complementary applications, agreements and claims. To do this, we may have to discuss applications, agreements and claims with third parties or disclose information about funding decisions.

Participation in Countryside Stewardship involves expenditure of public money and is therefore a matter of public interest. We make information about Countryside Stewardship applications, agreements and claims publicly available, in line with European Regulations, for example on a website such as www.magic.gov.uk. Details disclosed may include, but are not limited to, your name, the name and address of your farm or business, postal town/parish, first part of your postcode, grid references, the total area under agreement, the payments you receive, the location of parcels, details of the environmental features and management options they contain and details of inspections by Defra or its agents. On request, copies of individual applications and agreements will be made available.

We, or our appointed agents, may use the name, address and other details on your application form to contact you in connection with customer research aimed at improving the services that we provide to you.

We will respect personal privacy while complying with access to information requests to the extent necessary to enable Natural England to comply with its statutory obligations under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

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