Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Government recognises the importance of England’s peatlands, and in our manifesto, we committed to expanding nature-rich habitats such as peatlands. This will contribute to ensuring nature’s recovery, one of Defra’s five priorities. That is why this Government is investing £400 million to protect and restore nature, including our peatlands.

We have ambitions to restore hundreds of thousands of hectares of peatlands across the country, and we are working to ensure that we have the most effective mechanisms in place to go further than we have before. Peatland restoration is currently funded via the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, and going forwards will be primarily funded through Environmental Land Management schemes, such as the Landscape Recovery and Countryside Stewardship schemes.

Ministers are committed to protecting our nature-rich habitats, including peat bogs and are looking at next steps for measures to end the use of peat in horticulture. We continue to work alongside the horticultural sector to support progress on the peat free transition.

Defra is confident that existing and new BCP infrastructure has sufficient capacity and capability to handle the volume of expected checks outlined in the Border Target Operating Model, with robust, dynamic, and effective operational measures ready to call upon if needed. Defra will continue to work with existing BCP operators to ensure they remain operational

It is worth noting that commercial ports are responsible for determining and setting their own rates for recovering costs at their facilities.

Removal of the T8 waste exemption is one measure among a package of possible reforms to the waste exemptions regime. This Government is currently considering priorities for waste and resources and reform of the waste exemptions regime including related to used tyres.

No. We recently issued guidance on ensuring good waste collection services from households on gov.uk, which includes guidance on residual waste collection services.

Future plans for the reporting period 24 June to 23 December 2025 will be included in the fourth Assimilated Law Parliamentary Report. Past reports can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/retained-eu-law-reul-parliamentary-report.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government is introducing legislation to enact the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants and food and feed before the end of March.

The European Commission has published a proposal that is similar in aim to the Precision Breeding Act. The department is monitoring progress on the EU’s regulatory proposal closely and engaging with the European Commission when appropriate.

Officials have met with EU counterparts several times to discuss England’s approach to precision breeding and the EU’s proposal on new genomic techniques, including through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Committee and through the UK-EU Joint Consultative Working Group Agri-food structured group.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government is introducing legislation to enact the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants and food and feed before the end of March.

The European Commission has published a proposal that is similar in aim to the Precision Breeding Act. The department is monitoring progress on the EU’s regulatory proposal closely and engaging with the European Commission when appropriate.

Officials have met with EU counterparts several times to discuss England’s approach to precision breeding and the EU’s proposal on new genomic techniques, including through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Committee and through the UK-EU Joint Consultative Working Group Agri-food structured group.

No, neither the Secretary of State, his officials, nor Special Advisors have met with this organisation.

Details of Ministers’ and Special Advisor meetings with external organisations and individuals are publicly and freely available on GOV.UK. This has been the case for decades.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government is introducing legislation to enact the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants and food and feed before the end of March.

The European Commission has published a proposal that is similar in aim to the Precision Breeding Act. The department is monitoring progress on the EU’s regulatory proposal closely and engaging with the European Commission when appropriate.

Officials have met with EU counterparts several times to discuss England’s approach to precision breeding and the EU’s proposal on new genomic techniques, including through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Committee and through the UK-EU Joint Consultative Working Group Agri-food structured group.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government is introducing legislation to enact the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants and food and feed before the end of March.

The European Commission has published a proposal that is similar in aim to the Precision Breeding Act. The department is monitoring progress on the EU’s regulatory proposal closely and engaging with the European Commission when appropriate.

Officials have met with EU counterparts several times to discuss England’s approach to precision breeding and the EU’s proposal on new genomic techniques, including through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Committee and through the UK-EU Joint Consultative Working Group Agri-food structured group.

Defra recognises the importance of civil preparedness in resilience alongside industry’s role in responding to supply chain disruptions. Officials have been reviewing with interest the recommendations of ‘Just in case: 7 steps to narrow the UK civil food resilience gap’ since its publication on 6 February 2025.

Food is one of the 13 Critical National Infrastructure sectors in the UK and Defra takes its role as Lead Government Department for food supply very seriously. Defra works closely with the resilience and CNI community across government to ensure impacts to food supply are considered in risk assessments and contingency planning.

Defra recognises the importance of civil preparedness in resilience alongside industry’s role in responding to supply chain disruptions. Officials have been reviewing with interest the recommendations of ‘Just in case: 7 steps to narrow the UK civil food resilience gap’ since its publication on 6 February 2025.

Food is one of the 13 Critical National Infrastructure sectors in the UK and Defra takes its role as Lead Government Department for food supply very seriously. Defra works closely with the resilience and CNI community across government to ensure impacts to food supply are considered in risk assessments and contingency planning.

Defra recognises the importance of civil preparedness in resilience alongside industry’s role in responding to supply chain disruptions. Officials have been reviewing with interest the recommendations of ‘Just in case: 7 steps to narrow the UK civil food resilience gap’ since its publication on 6 February 2025.

Food is one of the 13 Critical National Infrastructure sectors in the UK and Defra takes its role as Lead Government Department for food supply very seriously. Defra works closely with the resilience and CNI community across government to ensure impacts to food supply are considered in risk assessments and contingency planning.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.

The department does not intend to assess the potential impact of illegal fly-tipping on agricultural activity. The Government understands the difficulty that fly-tipping poses to all landowners. We have committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created and will provide further details on this in due course.

We continue to work with stakeholders, such as the National Farmers Union and local authorities, through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to share good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land. Various practical tools, including case studies and ‘how to’ guides on key issues such as setting up effective local partnerships, are available from their webpage at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.

All Defra consultations are published through the Citizen Space digital consultation platform and are available in the public domain Defra - Citizen Space. The Defra Citizen Space account also hosts consultations for several of Defra’s Arm’s Length Bodies. Other engagement activities such as Call’s for Evidence are also hosted on this platform.

The table below covers volumes for Defra’s public consultations only. Where completed volumes don’t align with initiated, this is as a result of the consultation period extending across date ranges.

Number of Defra Consultations initiated and completed by date range:

We recognise the importance of these global risks highlighted by the World Economic Forum. No society can thrive without protecting the environment on which we rely. That is why this Government is committed to ambitious action on climate and biodiversity. The UK is providing global leadership to end poverty on a liveable planet.

Climate change and biodiversity loss are key elements of the Government’s National Risk Register.

Internationally, we work closely with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, who provide the best available science to assess these risks. We are building global environmental ambition by accelerating delivery of the Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement, including through our domestic actions.

Domestically, our independent Climate Change Committee is working on the 4^th Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA). We are building global environmental ambition – accelerating delivery of the Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement, including through our domestic actions. Defra is responsible for coordinating requirements set out in the UK Climate Change Act 2008, including preparing a National Adaptation Programme every five years, informed by the CCRA. The State of Natural Capital report shows how to mitigate risks from biodiversity loss. We have also launched a rapid review environmental improvement plan to deliver on our legally binding environment targets.

The Government has not made an assessment of local authority compliance with the existing, advisory littering enforcement guidance.

Defra recognises the role that appropriate and proportionate enforcement can play in helping local authorities keep streets clear of litter. Defra is considering the benefits of bringing forward statutory litter enforcement guidance and any new guidance will be announced in the usual way.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

Forest Research, an agency of the Forestry Commission, is primarily trialling Machine Learning to automate some of the basic tasks currently performed by scientists to support its specialist work. This algorithmic learning can be trained using established and mature techniques on new and existing datasets to classify complex, multidimensional data. This is carefully considered and monitored for accuracy and performance and viewed in the context of evolving practice and recommendations of secure, sustainable and ethical Artificial Intelligence.

Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, Defra initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. It did not look specifically into any links between microplastics and the prevalence of heart attacks and strokes, but the evidence project has reviewed their emissions, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. It also included a socio-economic assessment. It will advise on the most effective measures to address any risks and help identify wider evidence gaps that need to be addressed to support a more strategic approach to managing intentionally added microplastics. This project is expected to report in early 2025. Defra and the Welsh and Scottish Governments will consider its findings once complete.

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

The Water (Special Measures) Bill will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector. It will also give regulators new powers to take tougher and faster action to crack down on water companies not delivering for customers and the environment.

The Water Industry National Environment Programme and the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan will reduce water industry impacts on bathing waters in England. As part of the Plan, water companies will have improved all storm overflows discharging near every designated bathing water by 2035.

On 12th November 2024, Defra, jointly with the Welsh Government, announced a consultation on a package of potential reforms to The Bathing Water Regulations 2013. We are currently analysing responses to the Consultation and will publish a response in due course.

The Environment Agency has developed an Action Improvement Plan for the Shropshire bathing water sites to identify actions needed to improve them, as well as trialling novel monitoring approaches on the River Teme at Ludlow to provide greater insight into bathing water quality.

Upstream of Ludlow, the Environment Agency has completed over 80 farm inspections over the last 2 years, ensuring compliance with agricultural regulations and providing advice to reduce farming impacts on our waterways.

Tree planting along rivers can help improve water quality, such as by trapping and removing pollutants from agricultural runoff water before it reaches the river. The England Woodland Creation Offer provides financial support for tree planting and incentivises woodland creation that improves water quality through supplementary payments.

The ‘Woodlands for Water’ project, supported by Defra, has been providing targeted facilitation to support landowners to access tree planting grants to support the creation of riparian woodland corridors, including in the River Teme catchment.

This Government has committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created. This will build on the sanctions already available for fly-tipping which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing of vehicles and prosecution through the courts which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. Sentencing is a matter for the independent courts.

We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are considering if further guidance is needed.

This Government understands the difficulty that fly-tipping poses to all landowners. We have committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created and will provide further details on this in due course.

We continue to work with stakeholders, such as the National Farmers Union and local authorities, through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to share good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land. Various practical tools, including case studies and ‘how to’ guides on key issues such as setting up effective local partnerships, are available from their webpage at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Secretary of State has recently announced that the secondary legislation necessary to implement the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants and derived food and feed in England will be laid by the end of March.

Policy development for the implementation of the Act for animals is ongoing.

We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards.

The use of cages and other closed confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.

A public consultation on fairer food labelling was undertaken between March and May 2024 by the previous Government. We are now carefully considering all responses before deciding on next steps and will respond to this consultation in due course.

The Land Use Consultation will run for 12 weeks, closing on the 25th of April with the Government aiming to publish the final Land Use Framework later this year.

The consultation is the start of a national conversation on how we best use our land, this will involve regional workshops as well as roundtables with key stakeholder groups. These activities will shape the future Land Use Framework, alongside the responses to the consultation which can be sent in writing to the following address:

Land Use Consultation

Third Floor, Mallard House,

Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green,

York,

YO1 7PX

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

The Environment Agency uses artificial intelligence for a number of purposes:

• We use ‘Hello Lamp Post’, an AI powered chat bot to support our work by sharing information with the public about our role, the benefits our assets provide, information specific to our flood defence projects, and to engage the public in conversations about resilience and adaptation to flooding and coastal change.

• We have been part of Microsoft Copilot trials investigating the role it can play in achieving productivity gains across the Environment Agency.

• We also have several ongoing theoretical investigations and practical pilot projects to explore further uses of AI and Machine Learning within the Environment Agency.

We draw from a range of existing government guidance to inform our usage and development of AI solutions. This includes the AI playbook for UK Government, Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework, the Data Ethics Framework, the AI Opportunities Action Plan and the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard.

We also have access to the Government Digital Service, part of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, for expert advice.

We recognise the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course.

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions, such as prosecutions, to Defra, which are published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england.

Data for the 2023/24 reporting year will be published on the 26 February 2025.

The King Charles III England Coast Path is expected to be completed by Spring 2026. This government has inherited a delivery programme that has been delayed by several factors such as rising costs of materials and constrained capacity in local authorities.

The King Charles III England Coast Path is expected to be completed by Spring 2026. This government has inherited a delivery programme that has been delayed by several factors such as rising costs of materials and constrained capacity in local authorities.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the new Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

As of January 2025, officials are exploring AI tools in a number of areas, although this work is still a proof-of-concept and not a live system.

Officials are also exploring deep learning for peatland mapping to aid CO2 reduction and machine learning to automate marine species identification.

We draw on a range of resources, published on GOV.UK, to inform our AI usage. For example, Generative AI Framework, Data Ethics Framework, AI Opportunities Action Plan and the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard.

Whilst we have never had an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the UK, it remains a key priority in terms of exotic notifiable disease preparedness. The overall risk of an incursion is currently assessed to be medium, and we continue to prepare for a possible outbreak. To safeguard the UK’s pork and pig industries, Defra, Devolved Governments, together with the pig industry and veterinary bodies have been working together to raise awareness of the risks of the introduction of ASF to the UK. Defra announced further controls in September 2024, restricting the movement of pork and pork products into Great Britain.

The risk of incursion of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) to Great Britain was increased to medium following the confirmation of disease in Germany on the 10 January 2025. The Government has taken decisive and rapid action to protect the UK by suspending the commercial import of susceptible animals from Germany and restricting personal imports of animal products from across the EU. The UK has robust contingency plans in place to manage the risk of this disease as set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain(opens in a new tab) supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England(opens in a new tab).

Pet insurance providers are private businesses and are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The Government is continuing to progress plans to designate nine new National River Walks across England and is considering delivery options to ensure the new river walks will have the most benefits for local communities. Further details will be provided in due course.

The Government is committed to the establishment of three new forests. Good progress is being made towards establishing the first of these forests as part of our wider work to fulfil this commitment.

Defra recognises the importance of ancient and veteran trees, which provide irreplaceable habitats and a wide range of social, environmental and economic benefits to communities across the country. The value of ancient woodlands and ancient and veteran trees is recognised through the National Planning Policy Framework where these habitats are identified as irreplaceable. We do not have the data to estimate of the number of these trees not covered by Tree Protection Orders in Bedfordshire.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Defra are continuing to work with Natural England to develop our approach to beaver reintroductions and management in England. This includes the development of a framework and criteria to enable the wild release of beavers in England. Further information on this will be published in due course.

The Government takes invasive species seriously and has legislated to prevent the further introduction and spread of Chinese mitten crab. As a ‘Species of Special Concern’ it is subject to the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019, which means that it cannot be brought into Great Britain, kept, bred, transported, sold, used or exchanged, allowed to reproduce, grown or cultivated, or released into the environment. Defra funds the Fish Heath Inspectorate to carry out work to prevent the illegal sale and spread of this species.

Defra and the Environment Agency will continue to look for ways to manage this species but are currently not aware of any cost-effective or proven control methods, and there is limited scientific evidence on potential management approaches and its impacts.

The Government is expected to produce Statutory and Non-Statutory Guidance to support the primary legislation in place under the Environment Act. WRAP was requested to help pull together good practice information to support Defra deliver its set of Non-Statutory Guidance to support primary legislation in place including engagement with Local Authorities.

Defra has no current plans to review the maximum penalties for committing wildlife offences.

Over the last 14 years, England has seen recycling rates stall, meaning too much waste is dealt with through incineration or thrown in landfill.

Under new plans, published alongside Defra’s Residual Waste Infrastructure Capacity Note, the government makes clear it will only back new waste infrastructure projects if they meet strict local and environmental conditions. Projects will need to maximise efficiency and support the delivery of economic growth, net zero and the move to a circular economy. We will be bringing forward planning reforms so that planning authorities consider these conditions in future applications.

Those developing energy recovery facilities (at all stages in the process) are encouraged to consider forecast changes to future capacity, demand, and the Government's circular economy opportunities, in light of the evidence published in the Capacity Note.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Defra are continuing to work with Natural England to develop our approach to beaver reintroductions and management in England. Further information on this will be published in due course.

Defra itself is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit which helps prevent and detect unlawful poisoning. Defra also provides funding for England’s Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme which determines the underlying cause of death of wildlife where illegal use of rodenticides is suspected.

To help ensure wildlife is not accidentally poisoned, Defra would advise anyone managing rodents to consider a range of effective, alternative methods to rodenticides including elimination of harbourage, food and water. Spring traps and live capture traps are also inexpensive, reusable and widely available.