DRY stone wallers have been praised for their work by a Government minister.

The repair of dry stone walls and historic farm buildings in the Yorkshire Dales National Park has boosted the local economy, created jobs and kept alive traditional skills said Defra minister Lord Rooker.

But it has come at a price with grants of £6.71 million in six years up to the end of 2004.

A major new report published today reveals the full economic and social impact of repairing farm buildings and dry stone walls under agri-environment and conservation grant schemes between 1998 and 2004.

The study was commissioned by Defra and English Heritage, in partnership with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and Natural England.

Grants totalling £6.71million were offered to landowners and farmers during the study period. Researchers found that: Over 517 traditional farm buildings and 191 kilometres of dry stone walls were successfully restored; 74 jobs were created in the National Park: 41 of these were engaged in restoring buildings and 33 involved in dry stone walling; The schemes resulted in between £7m and £9 million being injected into the local economy with every £1 expenditure on building restoration resulting in £2.48 to the local economy and £1.92 for dry stone walling.

Restoration work may have indirectly contributed about £2.5 million annually to the local economy through tourism.

Lord Rooker said: "The farm buildings and dry stone walls of the Yorkshire Dales are truly iconic and integral to the region's economic and social fabric. As this report makes clear, targeted grants from Defra and our partners have delivered significant and sustainable benefits. Jobs have been created, the landscape improved for residents and tourists and farm buildings brought back to profitable use. New life really has been breathed into the Dales."

The research was carried out by the University of Gloucestershire and ADAS UK. They concluded that without the grant schemes three quarters of the repaired farm buildings would have crumbled into dereliction. Nearly all are now being re-used for agricultural purposes, such as housing livestock and fodder crops.

The findings were revealed at a recently restored 19th century field barn owned by farmers Carol and Greg Porter, near Healaugh, Swaledale. Both were born and bred in the Dales and used a grant from Defra's Pennine Dales ESA Scheme to replace rotten timbers and mend a leaking roof with new slates.

Sarah Tunnicliffe, English Heritage Rural and Environmental Policy Adviser, said: "The schemes have helped maintain the barns and walls landscape, which is such a major part of the historic character of the Yorkshire Dales. They have also kept alive many craft skills, such as dry stone walling, and created new demand for locally sourced materials."

The six grant schemes examined in the study were: Defra Pennine Dales Environmentally Sensitive Area Scheme; Rural Enterprise Scheme; Countryside Stewardship Scheme; Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority Barns and Walls Conservation Scheme; Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority Farm Conservation Scheme and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust In total there are 6,000 stone field barns in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, along with 8,689 kilometres of dry stone walls.