Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 16 December 2024.

National Parks and National Landscapes empowered to deliver more for people and nature with new legislation pledged.

• This marks the 75th anniversary of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, which created our National Parks and National Landscapes
• This move comes amid the Government’s push to promote access to nature, as part of the wider Plan for Change

New powers are to be granted to the country’s iconic National Parks and National Landscapes to boost nature’s recovery and access to the outdoors.

New legislation and guidance will give National Parks and National Landscapes a clear mandate to widen the public’s access to nature through strengthened purposes and make changes to improve their governance that will allow for greater innovation and collaboration to prepare them for the future.

The changes announced today will see more trees planted, more peat restored and more habitat created, supporting Protected Landscapes to play a leading role in meeting Net Zero, Environment Act targets and the commitment to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030 as part of our Plan for Change.

Covering a quarter of England’s land area, improving the state of nature in our National Parks and Landscapes is vital to the health of our ecosystems. Our Protected Landscapes are home to nationally important habitats and our most iconic species – yet many are in a poor condition with the wildlife that lives within their boundaries in steep decline and the waterways that give many of these landscapes their magic now sadly polluted.

The measures will include a general power of competence for National Park Authorities, which will clarify their legal framework, removing restrictions which prevent an entrepreneurial approach, and cutting through bureaucracy to remove barriers to achieving more for people and nature.

The package will also strengthen the role that public bodies, including water companies, must play in delivering better outcomes for nature, water, climate and access to nature in these special places, through new regulation that will support public bodies and Protected Landscape organisations to work more closely together.

Refining the purpose and powers of National Parks and National Landscapes will promote access to nature for the millions of people who visit these iconic landscapes each year, helping them to support a thriving rural economy and enable people to reap the benefits of spending time in greener and wilder places.

These changes will empower Protected Landscapes to deliver more for nature and tackle climate change over the next 75 years and beyond. This reflects their vital importance to the nation – from protecting us from flooding, to celebrating our heritage and restoring our health and wellbeing.

This comes amid celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the creation of our Protected Landscapes through the 1949 National Parks and Access the Countryside Act – a visionary piece of legislation that paved the way for our iconic National Landscapes, Parks and Trails.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said:

“It’s seventy-five years since our National Parks and National Landscapes were created, and they have done incredible work protecting some of our most treasured and beautiful landscapes.

“But so much of our countryside and wildlife is in decline so we must do more to protect it. To mark this anniversary the Government will introduce new laws to boost protections for the natural world, strengthen our National Parks and National Landscapes and increase opportunities for millions of people to enjoy the great outdoors.”

With less than 40% of rivers in National Parks in good ecological status, the government will also develop new regulations to ensure public bodies operating in these beautiful areas including water companies, deliver better environmental outcomes. As an immediate step, new guidance is being published today that will help public bodies work together to make these special places greener, wilder and more accessible.

Natural England Chair Tony Juniper said:

“The 1949 National Parks Act laid the foundations for modern nature conservation, enshrining in law the means to protect dozens of exceptional landscapes and thousands of our best wild places while bringing joy to millions of people across multiple generations.

“Despite the achievements, however, these legal protections have not been sufficient to prevent Nature’s continuing decline. And whereas in decades past the challenge was about conservation, today we must not only hang on to what is left, but to also invest in Nature’s recovery.

“The reforms announced today are important steps that can help to turn the tide.”

Our countryside and green spaces are a source of great national pride, and today’s announcement is a further example of this government’s commitment to delivering on nature, increasing access, planting three new National Forests, creating nine new National River Walks and empowering communities to create new parks and green spaces in their communities with a new Community Right to Buy.

This Government is committed to restoring nature across the country, which is why we have wasted no time in announcing a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan, which thriving Protected Landscapes will be essential to delivering. This will set out pathways to clean up our waterways, reduce waste across the economy, plant millions more trees, improve air quality and halt the decline in species by 2030.  A healthy natural environment is crucial to the nation’s health and prosperity, which is why nature recovery is an integral part of the Governments Plan for Change to create a decade of national renewal.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• Protected Landscapes – the collective term for National Parks and National Landscapes – range from lowland landscapes, such as the Cotswolds and the Norfolk Coast, to uplands such as the North Pennines and the Lake District.
• Protected Landscapes contain half of England’s priority habits and Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 60% of deep peat and around 88% of heather and acid grassland habitats. Restoring our Protected Landscapes will be essential to protecting 30% of the UK’s land and sea by 2030.
• Further information on the Protected Landscapes Duty can be found here: The Protected Landscapes duty – GOV.UK

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 11 December 2024.

• The UK fishing industry to benefit from 150,000 tonnes of fishing opportunities – 15,000 tonnes more than in 2024 – following negotiations with EU
• £890 million in fishing opportunities secured for British fishing fleets, boosting growth
• The agreements highlight all parties’ continued commitment to manage fisheries sustainably

The UK fishing industry will have access to 150,000 tonnes of fishing opportunities – 15,000 tonnes more than in 2024 – following the conclusion of annual fishing negotiations with the EU.

The agreement is worth up to £360 million for the industry.

This follows the UK’s trilateral agreement with the EU and Norway last week, which secured UK fisheries 290,000 tonnes of fishing opportunities in the North Sea and surrounding waters.

This is on top of 280,000 tonnes, worth around £240 million, from catch limits agreed earlier in the year on widely distributed stocks with coastal States in the northeast Atlantic.

In total, this brings fishing opportunities secured for the UK fleet in 2025 in the main negotiating forums to 720,000 tonnes, worth up to £890 million based on historic landing prices.

From these three negotiating forums, the UK has gained up to 120,000 tonnes more quota from the 2025 annual negotiations than it would have as an EU member state.

Fisheries Minister Daniel Zeichner said:

Through these sets of negotiations this Government has agreed deals securing quota for stocks totalling up to £890 million for the UK fleet in 2025.

This is another example of how we are delivering on our Plan for Change, boosting our British fishing industry by supporting the lifeblood of many coastal communities.

The UK’s approach to negotiations

Sustainability has been at the heart of the UK’s approach to negotiations, pushing for decisions based on the best available science to protect key stocks and support the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry.

Advice from scientists at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is the starting point for the UK’s approach and, where possible, catch limits have been set at or within these advised levels.  Economic and social considerations are appropriately balanced alongside this scientific advice.

The outcome of annual fisheries negotiations will be published in the Secretary of State determination of fishing opportunities for British boats by the end of the year.

Throughout the negotiations, the UK Government has worked closely with the devolved governments to ensure the benefits of the negotiations are spread across the UK.

The UK fishing industry will benefit from:

• Increased anglerfish quota;
• the continuation of the plaice 7de swap with the EU that allows for other target fisheries to continue where plaice is caught as a bycatch;
• an increase within scientific advice of some catch limits for seabass; and
• securing the continuation of the Irish sea herring fishery.

In other international fisheries negotiations this winter the UK has:

• led conservation and management measures on porbeagle and Rockall haddock in the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, both being adopted by consensus;
• secured endorsement of our proposal for a retention ban of vulnerable mobulid rays and additional time next year for ongoing negotiations on bluefin tuna allocations in at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna;
• successfully strengthened commitments on several aspects of fisheries management in the UN’s Resolution on Sustainable Fisheries, including pushing for progress in combating harmful subsidies at the WTO, highlighting the importance of transparency in fisheries management, maintaining ambition for the plastics treaty, and emphasising the importance of the precautionary approach; and
• played a key role in securing a Recommendation on Eliminating Government Support to Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing, within the OECD’s Fisheries Committee.

Notes to editors

Values based on full uptake of fishing opportunities and provisional 2023 landing prices. All figures are rounded and may change slightly once a full analysis has been completed.

Bilateral fisheries negotiations between the UK and the Faroe Islands, and the UK and Norway are currently on-going.

The Agreed Records for the negotiations can be found on gov.uk:

• UK and EU bilateral negotiation
• Trilateral negotiations
• UK, EU and Norway trilateral negotiations
• Coastal States negotiations

Outcome of UK/EU bilateral negotiations 

This deal set catch limits of around 70 total allowable catches (TACs), monitoring arrangement for non-quota stocks as well as other arrangements on seabass and albacore. The agreement also commits the UK and EU to work together to provide more sustainable fisheries management, including

For non-quota stocks (NQS), the UK and the EU agreed a roll-over of access arrangements for 2025 to ensure continued access to fish NQS in EU waters. UK fleet landings for these stocks are historically worth around £30 million a year. We also agreed to roll-over existing joint management measures and increase within ICES advice some catch limits for seabass, and a roll-over of access arrangements for spurdog in the North Sea and albacore tuna.

The speed with which the negotiations concluded this year is a sign of the effective implementation of the TCA since 2020, which has built on collaborative efforts through the SCF.

Outcome of UK/EU/Norway trilateral negotiations

This deal agreed catch limits on six North Sea fish stocks including cod, haddock and herring and further stocks in other waters around the UK.

Read the relevant announcement on gov.uk

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 11 December 2024.

The Government has today confirmed it has injected more than £343 million into the rural economy in the first week of December, benefiting more than 31,000 farmers.

This includes payments worth £223 million to Countryside Stewardship revenue customers and £74 million to Environmental Stewardship customers, administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

The Government is providing over £5 billion to the farming budget – the largest ever increase investment in sustainable food production in our country’s history. To further support farmers Ministers have today announced new details on  how farmers will benefit from improved and optimised farming schemes.

A new and improved Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme will open in 2025, providing new quarterly payments designed to improve farmers’ cashflow and a rolling application window so customers can apply throughout the year.

It also includes new actions to improve flood resilience and species abundance and important funding to secure enhanced environmental benefits and deliver for nature recovery, including sensitive areas such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed said:

Our commitment to farmers is steadfast.

That is why this Government is working hard to get money into farmers bank accounts as well as announcing today how farmers can benefit from the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme, with more flexible actions, improved payments to help cashflow and a rolling application window.

It’s part of our £5 billion farming budget over two years – the largest ever directed at sustainable food production in our country’s history.

As we set out our Plan for Change, we are focused on supporting our farmers, supporting rural economics growth and boosting Britain’s food security.

Rural Payments Agency Chief Executive Paul Caldwell said:

Our farmers are the heartbeat of the nation’s rural economy, and RPA remains focused on supporting them by getting payments into bank accounts as quickly as possible.

I am very pleased that this December we have been able to inject more funding than ever from environmental schemes into the rural economy.

This comes at the same time as providing more certainty over the details in Higher Tier offer to enable farmers to see for themselves how it can benefit them.

CSHT will open through an initial controlled roll out to ensure everyone gets the necessary support. Initially, applications will be by invitation – on a rolling monthly basis.

We are also publishing an additional 14 Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) endorsed actions, further improving the offer. These will be available from summer 2025 to enable farmers and land managers to contribute further benefits to Grassland, Heritage, and Coastal sites, among others.

Further payments made in December include £39 million under SFI, as part of the quarterly payments system designed to improve farmers’ cashflow and a further £7.4 million has been paid to customers who have completed Capital Grants works.

As part of its New Deal for Farmers, the Government will set up a new British Infrastructure Council to steer private investment in rural areas including broadband rollout in our rural communities.

We are also developing a 25-year farming roadmap, focusing on how to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come.

Farmers and land managers are stewards of the environment, and we will continue to invest in them to make their businesses, food production and our country more sustainable and resilient through Environmental Land Management.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 28 November 2024.

The Taskforce will strengthen collaborative working across the UK to improve tree planting and ensure the long-term survival of woodland.

• Forestry Minister Mary Creagh hosts new Tree Planting Taskforce to oversee tree-planting across the UK.
• Taskforce brings together ministers from across the four UK nations, key forestry delivery partners and arm’s-length bodies.
• Forestry leaders to provide oversight, share best practice and identify shared blockers and barriers to tree-planting.

A new Tree Planting Taskforce has been launched today to oversee the planting of millions of trees across the UK (Thursday 28 November).

The Taskforce, chaired by the forestry ministers from the four nations, brought together representatives from key arm’s-length bodies and delivery partners from across the UK.

Top of the agenda at the meeting was how to drive forward the UK’s tree planting in order to meet our collective net zero targets, as part of the Government’s critical mission to make the UK a clean and green energy superpower.

The UK has less tree cover than almost anywhere in Europe and more work is needed to close this gap.  Our nation’s woodlands and trees are the heart of communities around the UK, essential to supporting wellbeing and improving quality of life, alongside providing sustainable timber and being home to some of our most important species.

The Taskforce is designed to strengthen collaborative working across the UK, identifying opportunities to work together, to improve tree planting and ensure the long-term survival of woodland, safeguarding their benefits for future generations.

Forestry Minister Mary Creagh said: 

This Government was elected on a mandate to protect and restore nature.

That is why today I am proud to fulfil our promise to set up a Tree Planting Taskforce that will oversee the planting of millions of trees across our four nations.

Trees deliver huge social, environmental and economic benefits – from absorbing carbon dioxide, cooling our cities, improving wellbeing and helping reduce NHS costs, while a thriving forestry sector supports green jobs and drives economic growth.

Richard Stanford, Chair of the Forestry Commission said:

There has never been a more crucial time to take action to increase and improve the number of trees, woods and forests growing across the UK for future years. It is vital that our four nations unite and work in partnership on this mission.

This new Tree Planting Taskforce, is committed to delivering the shared aims of forestry across the four nations so we can continue to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges with thriving trees, woods and forests.

Scotland’s Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said:

I welcome the formation of this Taskforce as we all have a collective interest in increasing woodland cover and obtaining the multiple benefits this will bring, especially for climate change and addressing biodiversity loss.

Currently Scotland has delivered around 75% of all new woodlands in the UK. In 23/24 we created 15,000 ha of new woodland and this accounted for over 50% of the UK target.  Whilst this is a substantial contribution, we know there is potential for us all to do more.

The new Taskforce will be a great opportunity for all the countries to share valuable insights and ideas to expand our woodlands and create resilient forests for the future.

Northern Ireland Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir said:

I welcome the establishment of a Tree Planting Task Force across the UK and believe that the Taskforce represents a powerful vehicle to facilitate collaborative working to achieve our challenging tree planting targets.

The work of this taskforce will be pivotal to finding ways to encourage a greater level of tree planting to deliver on climate change goals, enhance our biodiversity and underpin the sustainability of forests and woodlands for successive generations.

Deputy First Minister for Wales with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies said:

Wales was one of the first nations in the world to declare a climate emergency and we welcome the opportunity to be members of the UK Tree Planting Task Force.

Forestry is a devolved matter, but we all face some common challenges and there are clear benefits to sharing good practice between nations. We want to continue to make it easier for landowners in Wales to plant trees in ways which both add value to their businesses and help us tackle the climate and nature emergencies.

Creating green jobs and growth in our rural communities is a key priority for us, and a prosperous trees and forestry sector alongside a thriving agricultural sector is crucial to this. That’s why I’m delighted that we’ll be publishing a consultation on a Timber Industrial Strategy for Wales in the new year. I’m looking forward to the task force helping us deliver on our commitments for Wales.

The announcement today comes after a commitment in the Budget to provide up to £400 million in England across the next two years (2024/5 and 2025/6) for tree planting and peatland restoration.

This Government is delivering its promise to protect and restore nature. It has launched a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan to ensure we meet our legal targets, including the Environment Act target of 16.5% tree cover by 2050.

It has also pledged to restore our place as an international leader on nature and climate – recently announcing the next steps towards meeting the international target of 30% of our land and seas protected for nature by 2030 and appointing the first ever Special Representative for Nature.

Notes to editors: 

List of attendees:

• Defra Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh
• Deputy First Minister (DFM) for Wales and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies
• Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon Northern Ireland Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir
• Representatives from Forestry Commission, Natural Resources Wales, Scottish Forestry, Northern Ireland Forest Service
• Representatives from England’s Community Forests, Community Forest Trust, National Forest Company, Woodland Trust, Confor
• Government officials

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 26 November 2024.

Further action is needed to improve bathing water quality.

92% of bathing waters in England have met minimum water quality standards, with 85% of bathing waters being rated as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, new annual figures released today show.

The 2024 statistics on English coastal and inland bathing waters follow testing by the Environment Agency at 450 sites regularly used by swimmers throughout the summer, including 27 new sites designated earlier this year. These tests monitor for sources of pollution known to be a risk to bathers’ health, specifically E. coli and intestinal enterococci.

Despite significant improvement since the 1990s, when just 28% were rated as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, today’s results make clear that more still needs to be done to improve their quality for people and the environment.

The proportion of ‘good’ and ‘excellent’-rated sites has fallen slightly, in part due to the existing water quality of the 27 new bathing water sites designated this year, 18 of which are classified as ‘poor’. This is not unexpected, as the new sites have not been managed for bathing before, and it takes time to understand and tackle the sources of pollution affecting them.

Without the newly designated bathing waters, 95% of sites would meet minimum standards this year, only slightly down from 96% last year.

Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell said:

Bathing waters are hugely important for communities and for the environment – and we know there is growing public demand for bathing sites across the country, including at our lakes and rivers.

While overall bathing water quality has improved in recent decades due to targeted investment and robust regulation, today’s results show there is much work still to do, particularly to bring our inland bathing waters up to standard.

We are working with the water industry, farmers and local authorities and are investing in our regulation, with more people on the ground, updated digital assets and new legal powers to improve our bathing waters for all.

The figures also show a notable difference between the quality of coastal and inland bathing waters, with 95% of coastal waters meeting minimum standards this year, compared to only 53% of inland sites. Rivers often have poorer bathing water quality compared to the sea which benefits from the natural disinfection of salt water and greater dispersal of pollutants.

The results follow the launch on 12 November of a Government consultation on proposed reforms to bathing water regulations to ensure a more flexible approach to designation and monitoring. This includes assessing water quality and the feasibility of improvement at a site prior to designation.

Water Minister Emma Hardy said:

These figures are unacceptable and show that too many of our popular swimming spots are polluted.

That’s why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water Bill, which will strengthen regulation including new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against persistent law breakers.

This is just the start – we’ve launched the largest review of the water sector since privatisation to attract the investment we need and reform the water system to help clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.

Following today’s results, the Environment Agency is working with local partners to take targeted action to improve water quality at all bathing water classified as ‘Poor’.

Wider measures to improve water quality include:

• Driving up monitoring of water companies with new flow monitors installed on more than 2,000 wastewater treatment works and 100% of storm overflows now monitored. We are increasing water company inspections to 4,000 by the end of March 2025; 10,000 in 2025/6 and 11,500 in 2026/27.  This will increase our inspection and audit work substantially to uncover non-compliance. We are also carrying out our largest ever criminal investigation into potential widespread non-compliance by water companies. Since 2015, we have concluded 63 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies securing fines of over £151 million.
• Supporting farmers to reduce water pollution and an increase in agricultural regulation, including doubling funding for free face-to-face support on reducing water pollution to all farmers in England. The Environment Agency carried out more than 4,800 farm inspections across England last year, helping farmers comply with legal requirements and resulting in more than 7,000 actions undertaken to improve farm practices and drive improvements to our environment.

The Environment Agency is changing its approach to regulation of the water industry by:

• Investing around £15 million in enhancing our digital systems and tools. Data and information from lots of sources will be combined to turn data rapidly into regulatory intelligence to easily identify and tackle the highest priority issues.
• Investing in 500 additional staff including environment officers, data analysts, enforcement specialists and technical experts, as well as team leaders and managers.
• Continuing to prioritise attendance at all Category 1 and 2 serious and significant water company pollution incidents but also increasing our attendance at Category 3 (minor) water company pollution incidents.
• Being more open and transparent about the way we regulate the industry. To help people get the information they need we recently launched our new Water Hub. This will hold all our data and guidance on water in one place for the public to easily access.

Notes to editors:

• Last year’s statistics showed that 96% of bathing water sites met the minimum standard of Sufficient, while 90% met the highest standards of Good and Excellent.
• 450 bathing waters in England were sampled this year and have been classified as either Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor. These classifications and information about water quality will be displayed at each bathing water and on bathing water profiles available to access on the Environment Agency’s Swimfo website.
• The bathing water season runs from May to September every year. The Environment Agency took 7,420 samples during the 2024 bathing season. The Environment Agency takes up to 20 water samples at each of England’s designated bathing waters during the season.
• The sampling programme is set ahead of the start of season to avoid bias and follows a strict protocol to ensure samples are taken consistently in terms of depth of water, location where most bathers are expected and also covering a range of tidal states where safe to sample.
• Other factors which influence bathing water quality can include tides, and physical or environmental changes at a site, with every catchment affected differently.
• Our standards for bathing waters come from guidelines produced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and are science based. They have been adopted by many countries through the EU Bathing Water Directive, which England’s Bathing Water Regulations are based on.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 18 November 2024.

The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officers are urging all bird keepers to follow scrupulous biosecurity measures following the confirmation of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 and HPAI H5N5 in poultry in England.

To prevent further spread of the disease all poultry on the infected premises will be humanely culled and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone has been put in place surrounding the affected premises.

Within these disease control zones restrictions on the movement of poultry and other captive birds, carcases, eggs, used poultry litter and manure apply. Bird keepers in the disease control zones will have the opportunity to apply for movement licences for some specific low risk movements from the zones. Within the 3km protection zone bird keepers must also house their birds to protect them.

Disease control zones are only lifted once all disease control and surveillance activities in the zones have been successfully completed and there are no suspect cases under investigation in the zones.

The new cases of HPAI in kept birds follows the recent increase in risk levels for both wild birds and poultry, and detection of both HPAI H5N1 and HPAI H5N5 in wild birds in Great Britain and across continental Europe.

All bird keepers are urged to remain vigilant and take action to protect their birds. Practicing good biosecurity at all times protects the health and welfare of kept birds and for commercial keepers will help protect businesses from HPAI and other diseases. Bird keepers can find out what they can do to prevent bird flu and stop it spreading and how to spot and report suspicion of avian influenza in poultry or other captive birds together with updates on the latest situation in Defra’s guidance at gov.uk/birdflu.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said that avian influenza is primarily a disease of birds and the risk to the general public’s health is very low but people should not touch any dead or sick wild birds they find.

The Food Standards Agency advises that properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, remain safe to eat.

UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, Jorge Martin-Almagro, said:

Avian influenza (‘bird flu’) has been confirmed in poultry at premises in England. Immediate steps have been taken to limit the risk of the disease spreading and all remaining poultry at the farm will be humanly culled.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) currently advises that the risk to the general public’s health from bird flu is very low, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers.

Winter is a greater risk period for avian influenza and these cases demonstrate that, now is the time if you are a bird keeper to ensure you have very robust biosecurity. Bird keepers must remain alert for any signs of disease and report suspected disease immediately.

In Great Britain members of the public are encouraged to report findings of dead wild birds using the online reporting system or by calling the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77). By reporting dead wild birds, you are helping Defra and APHA understand, the risk to different species groups of wild birds, the risk posed to poultry & other captive birds and the risk of overspill into mammals.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 November 2024.

£50 million investment into internal drainage boards and plans to consult on new strategic vision for floods investment.

The government is bolstering England’s resilience to flooding through additional financial support to farmers and rural communities, as well as refreshing its approach to delivering funding to make sure it works for communities, Floods Minister Emma Hardy will announce today (Wednesday 13 November).

Recognising the significant impact of flooding on farmers, an additional £50 million will be distributed to internal drainage boards (IDBs), the public bodies responsible for managing water levels for agricultural and environmental needs in a particular area.

This transformational investment will put IDBs on a firm footing to deliver their vital role in flood and water management for years to come. IDBs that submit successful bids will be able to spend the £50 million on projects over the next two years. This will benefit projects that will improve, repair or replace IDB assets – including flood barriers, embankments and maintenance of watercourses. The funding will support projects which reduce risks and impacts from flooding to farmers and rural communities across England. The Environment Agency has begun work with IDBs to distribute the funding from today.

But the government has also committed to going further to protect communities from flooding. The government inherited an outdated funding formula for allocating money to proposed flood defences. Established in 2011, the existing formula slows down the delivery of new flood schemes through a complex application process, and also neglects more innovative approaches to flood management such as nature-based approaches and sustainable drainage.

A consultation will be launched in the new year which will include a review of the existing formula to ensure that the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are adequately taken into account when delivering flood protection.

The government has also today confirmed payments to farmers impacted by last year’s severe weather through the Farming Recovery Fund. A total of £60 million will be distributed to eligible farmers, via recovery payments of between £2,895 and £25,000 to around 13,000 farm businesses. Payments are expected to land in farmers’ accounts from 21 November.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:

Farmers are the backbone of the nation, with their hard work helping to put food on the family tables across the country.

More intense weather events are destroying homes, businesses and livelihoods across the country, with farming communities facing the heaviest consequences.

That is why this Government is reforming how flood funds are distributed to protect businesses, rural and coastal communities as we invest over £2.4 billion in flood defences across the country.

The government is investing £2.4 billion until March 2026 to improve flood resilience and better protect communities across the country, including from coastal erosion, with further decisions for 2026/27 and beyond made at the next Spending Review.

In September, the Secretary of State also convened the first meeting of the new Floods Resilience Taskforce. This brings together representatives from central and local government, Local Resilience Forums, emergency responders and the National Farmers Union, among others, to discuss how they will speed up and co-ordinate flooding preparation and resilience.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 7 October 2024.

Additional 5 billion litres of water needed every day by 2050.

Almost a fifth (19%) of water supplies are lost by water companies before reaching customers’ taps, a new report from the Environment Agency has found.

The new report published today (Monday 7 October) assesses water companies’ annual performance data against their Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs), which include steps to reduce leakage, install meters and develop new additional supplies. The report highlights some progress has been made, but it also reveals areas of significant under-delivery, meaning improvements are needed in order to manage water resources efficiently and sustainably.

As part of the Environment Agency’s drive to be a more transparent regulator, this year’s report has been made public to shine a light on this issue, and to call for urgent and sustained action by water companies to implement these plans. By 2050, in order to support a growing population, the economy, food production and protect the environment, an additional 5 billion litres of water will be needed every day.

The Environment Agency requires water companies to produce plans to ensure secure and sustainable water supplies, which has driven the industry to set out ambitious new plans for the future. If implemented fully, these plans would lead to improved resilience against extreme drought, protect the environment and support the wider economy.

Key findings of the report include:

• Leakage: Despite a commitment by the water industry to halve leakage by 2050 and a reduction in leakage by 10% from 2017-2018 levels, it remains too high with 19% of water supplies still being lost before reaching consumers. The report breaks down water loss data by water company, with Thames Water and United Utilities identified as the worst performers for leakage per person. The industry must deliver a sustained reduction in leakage, particularly in the face of climate change, when extreme temperatures will make pipes more prone to bursts.
• Drought preparedness: While a year of wet weather meant there were no drought issues in 2023/24, some water companies still would not have sufficient water supply in some areas in the event of a drought. As extreme weather becomes more frequent, urgent action is needed to deliver new supply schemes and ensure they are ready for severe droughts.
• Demand reduction: The Environment Act set a target to reduce water use in England by 20% per head of population by 2037-38 from 2019-2020 levels. As of this year, there has been a 3.6% reduction. Metering plays a key role in influencing consumer behaviour and reducing household water use. Currently, water meters have been installed in approximately 60% of households.

Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:

In the face of the enormous challenges on water resources, we have to tackle both sides of the equation – reducing demand and increasing supply. While we’ve seen some progress by companies, it’s clear that more planning, resources and investment are needed, particularly on leakage.

We expect water companies to accelerate their plans to increase water efficiency, reduce leakage and prepare for future droughts. We will continue to work closely with Ofwat and Defra to hold water companies accountable and ensure they deliver on their commitments to protect our environment and secure our water supply for future generations.”

Water Minister Emma Hardy said:

This report is a damning indictment of the sheer volume of water that is wasted by water companies across England.

As the climate crisis worsens and more pressure is placed on our water systems, we must fix our broken water infrastructure to ensure we have a resilient future water supply.

We have taken immediate action to reset the water industry including introducing our new Water (Special Measures) Bill to strengthen regulation and give the water regulators sweeping new powers to hold companies accountable. We are also putting customers at the heart of our approach by doubling compensation when supplies are disrupted.

Water company performance on matters such as leakage and drought preparedness and their wider delivery against water resources aspects of their business plans is one of areas considered in Ofwat’s annual Performance Reports. In the event that a company has not delivered against these plans they are asked to return money to customers through bill reductions.

The Environment Agency and Ofwat are urging water companies to focus attention and resources to improve the resilience of their water supply. The Environment Agency and Ofwat will be issuing letters to several water companies expressing concerns over their management of water supplies. These letters will be published on Ofwat’s website.

Further information

• The full report can be found here
• Approximately half of the water companies in England will receive a joint regulatory letter from the Environment Agency and Ofwat outlining specific failings and necessary actions for improvement. The companies are: Anglian Water, Bristol Water, Cambridge Water, Portsmouth Water, South East Water, South Staffordshire Water, South West Water, Southern Water, Thames Water, and Albion Water.
• Water companies must produce a Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) every 5 years, which sets out how they will govern our water security and protection of the environment for the next 25 years in their supply area.
• Alongside a duty to publish a WRMP every five years, water companies have a further statutory requirement to produce an annual progress report. These are examined each year by the Environment Agency and Ofwat to measure progress on delivering the plan.
• The Environment Agency annual report summarises and reviews progress on key water demand and supply metrics across wholesale water companies in England, for the financial year April 2023 to March 2024.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 September 2024.

The Government has announced new laws to support precision breeding technology which will increase food production, reduce costs to farmers and allow drought and disease resistant crops to be grown.

New precision breeding technology to increase food production, reduce costs to farmers and allow drought and disease resistant crops to be grown will be brought forward under new laws, the Government announced today (Monday 30 September).

Using technologies like gene editing on plants, precision breeding will enable the development of crops that are more nutritious, resistant to pests and disease, resilient to climate change and more beneficial to the environment.

The measures will also reduce the use of pesticides, saving the important pollinators that are so vital to our ecosystem and promoting nature recovery. Additional benefits include boosting investment into the sector, supporting Britain’s food security, increasing food production and reducing costs for farmers.

At the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner announced that the government will pass secondary legislation required to unlock the benefits of the Precision Breeding Act as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Precision bred products have already started to undergo research trials, including tomatoes with high levels of vitamin D and sugar beet that is less reliant on pesticides. The legislation will enable these products to be rolled out across the country, reinforcing food security in the face of climate change, supporting our farmers and ensuring we become a world-leader in agri-food innovation.

Currently, only a few large multinationals can afford to navigate the complex authorisation process required to bring a new product to market. New legislation will simplify this process, making things fairer for SMEs and boosting investment.

Plant breeding currently contributes £1 billion in additional value each year to the UK economy and boosts yields by more than 1% per annum. However, to meet rising challenges in our food system and the environment, further innovation is needed, and precision breeding has the potential to add significant additional value.

The UK has a thriving science and research sector and by creating an enabling regulatory environment, the government will support investment in precision breeding to ensure our leading scientists and breeders can continue to develop this exciting technology.

Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said:

This Government recognizes that food security is national security.

That is why today we are introducing legislation to unlock precision breeding to boost Britain’s food security, support nature’s recovery and protect farmers from climate shocks.

With these measures, our agriculture sector will be at the forefront of innovation across the world.

The Government will go further to restore stability and confidence in the sector, introducing a new deal for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen food security alongside nature’s recovery.

We will protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals, make the supply chain work more fairly, prevent shock rises in bills by switching on GB Energy, better protect them from flooding through a new Flood Resilience Taskforce and use the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce.

We will optimise Environmental Land Management schemes, so they produce the right outcomes for all farmers – including those who have been too often ignored such as small, grassland, upland and tenanted farms.