Glastir (Welsh ''Green land'') is a

sustainable land management Sustainable land management (SLM) refers to practices and technologies that aim to integrate the management of land, water, and other environmental resources to meet human needs while ensuring long-term sustainability, ecosystem services, biodiv ...

scheme in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

launched by the

Welsh Assembly Government Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

in 2012. Its goals include " combating climate change, improving water management and maintaining and enhancing biodiversity." It aims to "deliver measurable outcomes at both a farm and landscape level in a cost effective way". The scheme is funded by the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

The scheme

Glastir is designed to replace several previous agri-environmental schemes,

Tir Gofal Tir Gofal (Welsh ''Care of the Land'') was an agri-environmental scheme in Wales launched by the Countryside Council for Wales in 1999. It aimed to encourage farmers and landowners to manage their land in an environmentally friendly way. Its main o ...

, Tir Cynnal, Tir Mynydd, the Organic Farming Scheme and the Organic Farming Conversion Scheme, and Better Woodlands for Wales. Glastir is a whole-farm land management scheme and is available to any person in Wales who has control of agricultural land or an interest in common land. The scheme involves the participant in committing to a management plan for a period of five years. Most entrants to the scheme will do so under the "Whole Farm Code" that applies to all the agricultural land which forms part of the contract, and the participant will have to comply with all the elements of this code. There are also various options to suit the circumstances of the farm which will provide capital grants for approved projects. The Glastir structure includes either the "All Wales Element" (AWE) or the "Common Land Element" (CLE). Within these, there are "Targeted Elements" (TE), selected agri-environmental schemes for farms and commons. An option for woodland management and creation is available to all participants. The "Agriculture Carbon Reduction and Efficiency Scheme" (ACRES) is available to provide capital grants for farms under the AWE. Participants need to express an interest in a Targeted Element scheme and the Welsh Government decides which TEs to approve. The TE priorities are reducing carbon emissions, improving water quality and quantity, increasing biodiversity, preserving the historic environment and providing access to the countryside.

Evaluation

When the scheme was set up, the National Farmers Union stated that some farmers in the "Less Favoured Areas" would be worse off than under previous subsidy arrangements but the Welsh Government denied that that was so. In 2014, the Wales Audit Office stated that the scheme had "significant flaws" and made several recommendations on how it might be improved.

References

{{Agriculture in Wales Environment of Wales