Since Tir Gofal (‘Land in Care’) was launched 1999, it has paid out about £100 million to landowners and now covers 20 per cent of agricultural land in Wales, a figure that compares well with similar schemes in England and Scotland. The scheme has proved to be extremely popular with landowners, with applications outstripping available funds and administrative capacity, leading to waiting lists and quotas to manage demand. There is evidence that the scheme helps protect and enhance habitats, historic features and the natural beauty of the Welsh countryside, and increases opportunities for public access to rural areas. It also creates additional spending in the local economy - some £4.2 million, when last measured in 2003, also creating 112 jobs.  

But while the report says the scheme is generally well designed and managed, it costs more to run than was originally expected.  It is also too soon to assess the full impact of the scheme, as environmental change can take a very long time and there are significant gaps in the Welsh Assembly Government’s research and evaluation coverage. Also, a long-term financial commitment is needed if Tir Gofal is to continue to add value and sustain existing benefits. For example, there is little economic incentive for a landowner to continue beneficial practices that take a long time to achieve, such as creating deciduous woodland, without payment.  Some farmers and stakeholders also have some reservations about the flexibility and targeting of the scheme.

The report makes a number of recommendations help the Welsh Assembly Government increase the long-term impact of Tir Gofal. These include:

• developing a monitoring and evaluation strategy for each of its current agri-environment schemes - with common techniques and classifications to aid comparison;
• liaising with other agri-environmental managers in the UK to identify good practice and work together to improve data quality and reduce costs;
• tailoring the scheme design to better reflect local conditions and policy priorities; and
• setting a small number of targets, covering all main aspects of scheme activity, and report performance regularly at a senior level.

Auditor General for Wales, Jeremy Colman said today:
‘There are promising signs that the Welsh Countryside is benefiting from Tir Gofal, but some changes are needed to ensure that these benefits are sustained.  Improving the measurement and evaluation of performance and streamlining some aspects of the scheme’s design should make Tir Gofal even better equipped for the future.’

Notes to Editors:

• This report examines whether Tir Gofal is well placed to deliver its objectives, now and in the future. It focuses on the performance of Tir Gofal in achieving its objectives and whether the scheme is designed to maximise potential benefits and is resilient to future risks.
• Tir Gofal (‘Land in Care’) pays landholders to manage agricultural land in an environmentally beneficial way, and is open to any landholding in Wales that is judged to have sufficient actual or potential environmental value.
• In October 2006, responsibility for administering the scheme transferred from the Countryside Council for Wales, which had run the scheme since it began, to the Welsh Assembly Government.
• The Welsh Assembly Government part funds the cost of payment to landholders, which was £20 million in 2006/2007 and £100 million from the inception of the scheme in 1999 until 31 August 2007. 
• The Wales Audit Office is independent of government and is responsible for the annual audit of some £19 billion of annual public expenditure.
• Its mission is to promote improvement, so that people in Wales benefit from accountable, well-managed public services that offer the best possible value for money. It is also committed to identifying and spreading good practice across the Welsh public sector.
• The Wales Audit Office was created in April 2005 through the Public Audit (Wales) Act, 2004, which expanded the functions of the Auditor General for Wales and enabled the transfer of staffs from the Audit Commission in Wales and National Audit Office in Wales to his employment.