Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

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

Dozens of new bathing water sites in England have been designated ahead of the 2024 bathing season in the government’s largest ever rollout.

Dozens of new wild swimming spots in England are being designated as bathing waters ahead of the summer and will immediately benefit from regular water quality monitoring, Water Minister Robbie Moore has today announced (May 13 2024).

Following a public consultation, 27 new bathing water sites will be designated ahead of the 2024 bathing water season, which runs between 15 May and 30 September. The new sites will take the total number of bathing waters to 451 across England – the highest number to date.

The new bathing waters – which include a dozen river sites – can be found right across the country from Church Cliff Beach in Dorset to Derwent Water in Cumbria, to the River Dart in Devon and the River Nidd in North Yorkshire.

The Environment Agency regularly monitors water quality at designated bathing water sites and assesses whether action is needed to cut pollution levels – working with local communities, farmers, and water companies to improve water quality at these locations.

The government will also launch a consultation later this year on proposals to reform the Bathing Water Regulations for England. The proposed changes will drive work to improve bathing water quality, enhance monitoring and enable more flexibility around the dates of the bathing water monitoring season. For example, proposals will include increasing monitoring outside of the bathing water season and preventing automatic de-designation of existing bathing water sites.

Defra will also seek public and stakeholder views on extending the definition of ‘bathers’ to include a wider range of water users in addition to swimmers – such as rowers, kayakers and paddle boarders. More information on this consultation will be published in due course.

The next application round will commence in Spring 2025.

Water Minister Robbie Moore said:

The value our bathing waters bring to local communities is incredibly valuable – providing social, physical and positive health and wellbeing benefits to people around the country – and I am pleased to have approved a further 27 new bathing water sites for this year.

These popular swimming spots will now undergo regular monitoring to ensure bathers have up-to-date information on the quality of the water and enable action to be taken if minimum standards aren’t being met.

I am fully committed to seeing the quality of our coastal waters, rivers and lakes rise further for the benefit of the environment and everyone who uses them.

Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell said:

The importance of England’s bathing waters for residents and visitors alike cannot be understated, which is why the Environment Agency provides rigorous testing to ensure that bathers can make informed decisions before swimming in one of our 451 sites.

Overall bathing water quality has improved massively over the last decade due to targeted and robust regulation from the Environment Agency, and the good work carried out by partners and local groups. Last year, 96% of sites met minimum standards, up from just 76% in 2010 – and despite stricter standards being introduced in 2015.

We know that improvements can take time and investment from the water industry, farmers and local communities, but where the investment is made, standards can improve.

Last year, 96% of bathing waters in England met the minimum standards, with 90% classified as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, up from 76% in 2010, despite the classification standards becoming stricter in 2015. The government also updated its guidance last year to make the application process clearer and easier to follow.

Today’s announcement follows recent measures delivered to improve the water environment, including:

• A new £11m Water Restoration Fund to reinvest water company fines and penalties back into the water environment.
• Requiring companies to monitor 100% of storm overflows in England – providing a complete picture of when and where sewage spills happen.
• Removing the cap on civil penalties for water companies and broadening their scope so swifter action can be taken against those who pollute our waterways.
• Requiring the largest infrastructure programme in water company history – £60 billion over 25 years – to revamp ageing assets and reduce the number of sewage spills by hundreds of thousands every year.
• Increasing protections for coastal and estuarine waters by expanding the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, prioritising bathing waters, sites of special scientific interest and shellfish waters.
• A targeted plan to better preserve and protect the River Wye, including £35m in funding.
• £11.5m in government support for 180 local projects to boost tree planting, habitat restoration and flood management through the Water Environment Improvement Fund.
• Speeding up the process of building key water supply infrastructure, including more reservoirs and water transfer schemes.

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

£4 million to expand world-leading laboratories to improve UK biosecurity and tackle emerging threats to tree health.

The battle against tree-disease spreading beetles such as the Emerald ash borer and the larger eight-toothed spruce bark beetle has taken a significant step forward today thanks to new government funding.

The funding will pay for a new £4 million research and containment facility at the UK’s Forest Research Alice Holt Research Station in Surrey and will better equip the country in managing the risks posed by these harmful pests and pathogens, in plans unveiled today (Friday 10 May) by Defra and the Forestry Commission as part of National Plant Health Week.

The new facility will expand the capacity of the existing Holt containment laboratory by almost double. This will boost capability to study pests and pathogens in a contained and controlled environment – enhancing our national response and facilitating safe international trade.

Statistics released by Forest Research today show there were 2350 tree pests and diseases reported via the TreeAlert service service from April 2023-March 2024.

By assessing the pests and pathogens in a contained laboratory, scientists from Forest Research – Great Britain’s leading organisation for forestry research – will be able to study them in a safe and controlled manner using cutting-edge technology and equipment to safeguard our treescapes.

Biosecurity Minister Lord Douglas-Miller said:

The UK is a world leader in tree health and biosecurity and today we are going further in boosting our armoury to combat tree pests and diseases and manage emerging threats.

We are committed to protecting the country’s tree health and maintaining biosecurity to ensure our trees and woodlands are resilient to fight climate change. Building on the existing vital work of Alice Holt will be a key part to achieving this.

Defra Chief Plant Health Officer Professor Nicola Spence said:

Pests and diseases are a threat to our nation’s trees and plants. They cause significant damage, economic losses and in many cases tree death. Tackling them is a key part of commitments set out in our world-leading Plant Biosecurity Strategy to protect our nation’s plants and trees.

Funding this new facility at Alice Holt will boost our capacity in the fight against new and emerging threats and help us maintain some of the strongest biosecurity measures in the world.

Forestry Commission Chair Sir William Worsley said:

Trees and woodlands support our wellbeing, and are home to some of our most treasured species. The play an important role in tackling climate change.

It is vital that we expand our research to counter new tree health outbreaks which are a threat to our nation’s trees. This new facility at Forest Research’s renowned Alice Holt Research Station will boost and expand our response to ensure trees are resilient for the future.

Forest Research Chief Executive Professor James Pendlebury said:

The Alice Holt Research Station has played a key role in researching pests and pathogens to protect our forests, strengthening UK-wide efforts to combat pest and disease outbreaks.

It is important that we increase our capacity to combat these threats so we can continue our world-leading research. This investment will help Forest Research fight to safeguard our trees and woodlands for future generations.

Due to a changing climate, we are seeing a rise in the number of pests and recent years have seen an increase in the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle Ips typographus and ongoing responses to Phytophthora ramorum and oak processionary moth. The laboratory will also help prepare for known threats which are not currently present, such as Emerald ash borer – an exotic emerald coloured beetle from Asia which has spread to North America and caused significant damage to ash trees – and Xylella, a ferocious bacterial disease which has devastated olive trees in France and Italy.

Today’s announcement supports delivery of the Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain, which committed to work with the industry and general public to protect the country’s plants from risks posed by pests and pathogens. The new facility will boost capacity for research on regulated pests and pathogens and ensure we can better respond to future threats.

The government has ambitious targets to increase tree canopy and woodland cover in England to at least 16.5% by 2050 and continues to take action to meet this with more than 15 million trees having been planted this Parliament, with future proofing our forests from disease a key part of our plans to increase tree cover.

Public vigilance is a key part of the fight against tree pests and diseases. You can look out for any unusual symptoms – like leaf discolouration or ‘bleeding’ lesions – on trees and report any sightings via TreeAlert, the GB’s online tree pest and disease reporting tool.

In a further move to protect the UK from harmful pests and diseases, the government has introduced a new set of global, risk-based border controls which will improve UK biosecurity, part of the Border Target Operating Model.

Find out more about Forest Research’s Holt Laboratory here.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• National Plant Health Week, a collaborative week of action with over 32 organisations, is taking place from 6-12 May 2024.
• This announcement supports delivery of the vision of the Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain.
• Improving UK biosecurity and addressing threats to tree health is essential to meeting the government’s manifesto pledge on tree planting and the long-term vision set out in the England Trees Action Plan 2021-2024.
• The announcement follows the launch of the Holt Laboratory, funded by Defra, in 2022, meaning Defra will have invested almost £10m on state-of-the-art tree health facilities in the last five years.
• Forest Research is Great Britain’s principal organisation for forestry and tree-related research and is internationally renowned for the provision of evidence and scientific services in support of sustainable forestry.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 10 May 2024.

Mandatory microchipping of cats will help reunite thousands of lost or stray pets every year.

Cat owners are today being urged to have their pets microchipped ahead of new legislation coming into force on 10 June to keep treasured pets safe.

The legal deadline was previously confirmed in legislation laid in March 2023, following a Government call for evidence and consultation on the issue in December 2020, in which 99% of respondents expressed support for the measure.

With the number of pet cats in England now more than 9 million, the introduction of mandatory microchipping will make it easier for lost or stray pet cats to be reunited with their owners and returned home safely. Microchipping is proven to be the most effective method for identifying lost pets, with microchipped dogs more than twice as likely to be reunited with their owner.

Microchips are safe and easy to implant with an average cost of around £25 for microchipping and registration. Often, charities and reputable cat rescue organisations may be able to microchip your cat for a reduced rate.

The process of microchipping involves the insertion of a chip, generally around the size of a grain of rice, under the skin of a pet. The microchip has a unique serial number that the keeper needs to register on a database. When an animal is found, the microchip can be read with a scanner and the registered keeper identified on a database so the pet can quickly be reunited with them.

The introduction of mandatory microchipping follows a public consultation where there was overwhelming support for the measure. Owned cats must be microchipped before reaching 20 weeks of age, with their contact details stored and kept up to date in a pet microchipping database.

UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said:

Microchipping is by far the most effective and quickest way of identifying lost pets. As we’ve seen with dog microchipping, those who are microchipped are more than twice as likely to be reunited with their owner.

I urge all owners to ensure their cat is microchipped before the legal deadline so they can increase the likelihood that they will be reunited with their beloved pet in the event of it going missing.

British Veterinary Association President Anna Judson said:

Microchipping is a safe, simple technology that can have a big impact; enabling vets to reunite hundreds of lost, stray and stolen cats with their families each year, and allowing injured cats to be quickly identified and treated. With the deadline for compulsory microchipping fast approaching we urge owners with unchipped cats to make an appointment with their practice today. If you have any concerns or are unsure if your cat needs to be chipped, please speak to your vet.

Battersea’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Michael Webb, said:

Last year more than two thirds of the cats brought to our centres were sadly not microchipped, making it incredibly difficult for us to trace an owner or help the cat return home.

Now that owners will be required to get their pet cats microchipped and keep their details up to date, rescues like Battersea can reunite more missing cats, and owners can avoid the devastation of losing their pet. We would urge anyone who hasn’t yet got their cat microchipped to do so as soon as possible ahead of the change in law next month. It’s a simple and painless procedure and an up-to-date microchip is the easiest way for missing pets to be reunited with their worried owners.

Alice Potter, Cat Welfare Expert at the RSPCA said:

We all want the best for our cats and microchipping them is a responsible and kind part of pet ownership as it means should your pet become lost, stolen, or injured, they can more easily be reunited with you.

In one month, cat microchipping becomes mandatory for all cat owners, so – as we strive to create a better world for every kind – we’d urge owners who haven’t got their cat microchipped yet to contact their vet to book an appointment.

Being on the frontline of animal rescue, we have seen cats coming into our care who are sadly not microchipped and may never be reunited with their owners. We’ve also rescued cats who have been microchipped, but the details haven’t been kept up-to-date which is arguably even more frustrating as it means cats spend a long time in our care whilst we fruitlessly try to contact the owner with out of date information. But we’ve also seen countless stories of cats who have been missing days, weeks, months, years and even decades, being reunited with their owners thanks to a tiny microchip – showing what this change of legislation will achieve for animal welfare.

Madison Rogers, Head of Advocacy, Campaigns and Government Relations for Cats Protection said:

With just one month to go, it’s vitally important that all pet cats are microchipped with the details kept up to date. It isn’t a question of just doing it because it’s the law. Microchipping a pet cat vastly improves the chances of a happy reunion should they go missing as it’s a safe and permanent means of identification that remains with a cat for their lifetime.

No matter how far from home they are found, or how long they have been missing, if a cat has a microchip there is a good chance they can be swiftly returned home.

This legislation forms part of wider work to reform microchipping and clamp down on pet theft by taking forward key recommendations from the Pet Theft Task Force. We recently announced reforms to the pet microchipping system including making microchip records easier to access, improving the accuracy of microchip information, and standardising database operator processes. We have also confirmed Government support for the Pet Abduction Bill.

This forms part of a wider Government effort to build on our existing world-leading animal welfare standards. Since publishing the Action Plan for Animal Welfare in 2021, we have brought in new laws to recognise animal sentience and introduced tougher penalties for animal cruelty offences.

ENDS

Notes to editors

• Microchipping is not compulsory for free living cats that live with little or no human interaction or dependency, such as farm, feral or community cats.
• Owners failing to comply by June 10, 2024, could face a fine of up to £500.
• The new microchipping rules follow a Government call for evidence and consultation on the issue in which 99% of respondents expressed support for the measure. The introduction of compulsory cat microchipping was a manifesto commitment and an Action Plan for Animal Welfare pledge.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 10 May 2024.

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has confirmed the reappointment of four members to the Science Advisory Council.

The Secretary of State has confirmed the reappointment of 4 members to the Science Advisory Council for a second term of 3 years. These members are:

• Professor Lisa Collins
• Professor Nicholas Hanley
• Professor Susan Owens
• Professor Richard Bardgett

Members are reappointed for a further 3-year term taking effect on 6 July 2024 and expiring on 5 July 2027.

The reappointments have been made in accordance with the Ministerial Governance Code on Public Appointments published by the Cabinet Office. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.

There is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if significant) to be declared. All candidates declared that they have not taken part in any significant political activity in the past 5 years.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 May 2024.

£11.5m extra funding announced to boost tree planting, habitat restoration and flood management across England through the Water Environment Improvement Fund.

• Millions of pounds of extra funding to boost tree planting, habitat restoration and flood management
• Expanded fund to help plant thousands of trees and improve the quality of rivers up and down the country
• 180 projects set to benefit, including in York, Lincolnshire and North Devon

Local projects across England will be able to clean up lakes and rivers, protect communities from flooding and plant thousands of trees, thanks to £11.5 million of government support.

The funding, which includes money from the Nature for Climate Fund, will also unlock up to an extra £11.5 million from organisations including the National Lottery, local rivers and wildlife trusts or from private investment, bringing the total possible investment to £23 million.

This uplift will be allocated to local catchment partnerships through the Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF) supporting 180 local projects across England. Projects to be funded this year include:

• The Limestone Becks River Restoration project in Lincolnshire, which will provide improved habitats for wildlife from water voles to invertebrates;
• Phase II of The York Urban Becks project, which aims to create a more natural river course and support local habitats; and
• The Woods for Devon project, creating woodlands to improve water quality, support wildlife, and carbon capture.

Overall, the additional funding is expected to lead to an additional 300km of English rivers being protected and improved. It will also support the creation and restoration of around 160 hectares of inland and coastal waters.

Catchment partnerships take a collaborative approach to improving river quality and enhancing biodiversity at a catchment level, using local knowledge and expertise.

They bring together government, local authorities, landowners, local eNGOs, regulators, farmers, academia, local businesses and water companies.

Delivered by the Environment Agency, the Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF) was established in 2016 and funds projects that deliver on the government commitments set out in the Plan for Water to ensure clean and plentiful water for the future.

Water Minister Robbie Moore MP said:

These local catchment partnerships do excellent work and I am pleased that we are able to give this additional funding to help deliver projects where rivers need it most.

It builds on recent measures to clean up our rivers including consulting on a ban on water company bonuses, launching a new Water Restoration Fund to reinvest water company fines and penalties back into the water environment, and a fourfold increase in Environment Agency inspections.

Chair of the Environment Agency Alan Lovell said:

We welcome this uplift in funding for local projects across the country which will help us work collaboratively with a range of organisations and stakeholders to achieve our ambitions for the water environment.

It builds on the steps we are taking to improve water quality and protect the environment, including expanding our specialised workforce and increase water company inspections this year, along with our powers to levy uncapped penalties on those who pollute our waterways.

CEO of The Rivers Trust Mark Lloyd said:

Increased funding is a very important ingredient in the recipe for successfully restoring our rivers to good health and so this is welcome news.

We are increasingly seeing the private and philanthropic sectors getting involved to match this kind of funding which enables this government support to go even further, enabling us to have a greater positive impact in more places.

In recent years, the Fund has supported a number of projects across the country. In 2021-22, £888,000 was given to the Developing the Natural Aire project in Yorkshire to install fish passes. It resulted in 50km of habitat being reconnected, 8,410 trees being planted and delivered 220 volunteer days and 123 community events.

The £11.5 million funding uplift is in addition to the existing £3 million the Environment Agency has already been allocated for this financial year for local project to improve water quality.

Today’s announcement follows recent measures delivered to improve the water environment, including:

• A new £11m Water Restoration Fund to reinvest water company fines and penalties back into the water environment.
• Requiring companies to monitor 100% of storm overflows in England – providing a complete picture of when and where sewage spills happen.
• Removing the cap on civil penalties for water companies and broadening their scope so swifter action can be taken against those who pollute our waterways.
• Requiring the largest infrastructure programme in water company history – £60 billion over 25 years – to revamp ageing assets and reduce the number of sewage spills by hundreds of thousands every year.
• Increasing protections for coastal and estuarine waters by expanding the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, prioritising bathing waters, sites of special scientific interest and shellfish waters.
• A targeted plan to better preserve and protect the River Wye, including £35m in funding.
• Speeding up the process of building key water supply infrastructure, including more reservoirs and water transfer schemes.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 May 2024.

New approach puts an end to confusing recycling and excessive bins.

A new, common-sense approach to recycling will make bin day simpler and boost recycling rates for the nation, Recycling Minister Robbie Moore announced today (9 May).

New simpler recycling collections will see the same materials collected from homes, workplaces and schools, ending the confusing patchwork of different approaches across England.

Today the government has set out how the drive to better and simpler recycling will work, listening to councils who want to avoid streets cluttered with bins while doing what is best for the local community. Councils will be allowed to collect plastic, metal, glass, paper and card in one bin in all circumstances. Similarly, food and garden waste will also be allowed to be co-collected.

This will reduce confusion over what items can be recycled, as people will no longer have to check what their specific council will accept for recycling. It will also reduce complexity for councils and other waste collectors, ensuring they retain the flexibility to collect recyclable waste in the most appropriate way for their local areas.

Additionally, the Government is supporting more frequent and comprehensive bin collections. A minimum backstop means councils will be expected to collect black bin waste at least fortnightly, alongside weekly food waste collections. This will stop the trend – seen outside England – towards three-weekly or four-weekly bin collections. Councils are also being actively encouraged to make collections even more frequent, to prevent smelly waste from building up outside homes.

Together, these new proposals will ensure regular and simpler bin collections from people’s homes across England – making recycling simpler for everyone.

Recycling Minister Robbie Moore said:

We all want to do our bit to increase recycling and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill – but a patchwork of different bin collections across England means it can be hard to know what your council will accept.

Our plans for Simpler Recycling will end that confusion: ensuring that the same set of materials will be collected regardless of where you live.

Paul Vanston, CEO of the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN), said:

Householders can take this government announcement as a pledge that, wherever we live across the nation, our local councils will all speedily implement recycling collections of the full range of materials that will match on-pack recycling labels citizens rely on for guidance.

Those paying the very substantial costs for councils’ local packaging recycling services – especially citizens, brands and retailers – can rightly set high benchmarks of great customer service, superb packaging recycling performance and demonstrable value-for-money being achieved everywhere.

The plans will apply to all homes in England, including flats. Similar measures will apply to non-household municipal premises, including businesses, hospitals, schools and universities.

As well as these developments, the list of premises in scope of these requirements has been expanded. Places of worship, penal institutes, charity shops, hostels and public meeting places will all come under the scope of the Simpler Recycling regulations.

This update builds on wider efforts to increase recycling and reduce waste. New restrictions on single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers came into force on 1 October 2023 in order to reduce plastic pollution and keep streets clean. We are also moving forward with the implementation of our Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers and our Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for packaging to boost recycling and clamp down on plastic pollution and litter.

At the beginning of 2024 we confirmed that disposable vapes will be banned in the UK to protect children’s health and tackle the environmental impact of these items.

We have already introduced a ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, restrictions on the supply of single-use plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds, and our world-leading Plastic Packaging Tax.

Meanwhile, our single-use plastic carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by over 97% in the main supermarkets.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 May 2024.

The government has set out plans to make the UK food supply chain most cutting-edge in the world.

The government is tackling labour shortages in the food supply chain, funding technology to reduce the reliance on migrant labour and providing certainty and clarity for farms and other food businesses across the UK.

In its response to John Shropshire’s Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain, the government will implement a series of new measures to support the industry. These include:

• extending the seasonal worker visa route for five years until 2029 to give businesses time to plan effectively;
• up to £50 million of further funding for new technology to support fully automated packhouses and more support to follow to bring robotic crop pickers on a par with human pickers in three to five years;
• creating a comprehensive strategy to enhance skills provision and attract domestic workers.

Recognising the need for farmers and growers to have time to invest in automation and move away from a reliance on migrant labour, the seasonal worker visa route has been extended for five years from 2025 to 2029 to address this immediate need. 43,000 visas will be available to the horticulture sector in 2025, with another 2,000 visas for poultry. Further detail of the number of visas available for 2026 to 2029 will be set out later this year.

The government has ramped up its support for the use of automation in the sector to reduce the reliance on migrant workers whilst introducing measures to promote British workers into agriculture.

This will start with immediate work to fully automate a group of major packhouses in 12 to 18 months, which will improve understanding of the government support needed to make fully automated packhouses universally viable. Information learned from this will help inform our planned £50 million package of packhouse automation funding, with further details to be announced later this year to cover 2024-25 and 2025-26.

The government will also work with technology companies to accelerate the development of robotic crop harvesters – aiming to bring prototypes on a par with human pickers in three to five years. This will help make the UK food supply chain the most cutting-edge in the world.

The announcement comes after the Prime Minister announced the largest ever round of farming grants at the NFU Conference earlier this year – with a total of £427 million on offer to farmers, doubling the investment in productivity schemes.

It comes ahead of the second annual Farm to Fork Summit, which will be hosted by the Prime Minister in Downing Street on 14 May, bringing together representatives across the UK food supply chain to drive forward work to ensure British farming has the support and backing it needs to thrive for generations to come.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

We have a world-class food and drink sector, and the measures announced today will strengthen this by boosting funding for the cutting-edge technology that will reduce reliance on migrant labour in the long term.

Businesses do best when they can plan effectively for the future, which is why we’ve extended the seasonal worker visa route until 2029 to give farmers and growers the certainty they need to thrive.

The government will also work to improve the attractiveness of the sector for domestic workers, delivering regional recruitment strategies to support jobseekers into roles in food and farming, and building greater collaboration between government, industry and education providers. This includes:

• Collaborating with the Food and Drink Sector Council’s Sector Attractiveness Project Group to improve awareness of the diverse range of opportunities and career paths across the UK food chain.
• Provided seed funding to establish the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH), a new industry body that will support professional career development.
• Working with the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver regional recruitment strategies that utilise its Jobcentre Plus network to give jobseekers the skills and knowledge they need to enter roles across the food and farming sector.

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

Ministers have made one new appointment and four reappointments.

Defra Ministers have appointed one Trustee and reappointed four Trustees at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Fay Cooke has been newly appointed as Trustee. Her three-year term commenced on 1 March 2024.

Sir Paul Nurse, Judith Batchelar and David Richardson have been reappointed as Trustees, and Professor Christopher Gilligan has been reappointed as King’s Trustee. Sir Paul, David and Professor Gilligan’s terms commenced on 8 March 2024, while Judith’s commenced on 1 April. Judith and David will serve a further three years. Sir Paul and Professor Gilligan will serve a further four.

Dame Amelia Fawcett, Chair of the Board of Trustees, says:

I am delighted to welcome Fay Cooke to the Kew Board of Trustees. Fay brings a wealth of expertise and experience that will significantly enhance our already robust and dedicated Board.

In addition, I am also very pleased that all four of our Trustees have been re-appointed for a second term as their contributions are vital as we advance our ambitious 10-year strategy.

Our mission to end the extinction crisis and foster a world where nature is sustainably protected and managed for the benefit of humanity and our planet relies greatly on the experience, expertise and leadership of our Trustees.  We remain grateful for their time and commitment.

The appointments have been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments published by the Cabinet Office.

Biographies

Fay Cooke

Fay is the Chief Impact & Financial Officer at Yeo Valley Production Ltd, where she is a member of the executive team and statutory board.  Fay leads Yeo Valley Production’s work on sustainable food and farming and is responsible for the company’s finance, people, technology, risk, governance and responsible business teams. She has a PhD in Zoology and qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Deloitte. She has a broad range of leadership experience across food, manufacturing & energy businesses, and is passionate about the environment, regenerative organic farming and holistic decision making. Fay is also a trustee of The Woodland Trust.

Judith Batchelar

Judith has worked in the food and drink industry for over 35 years, starting her life in manufacturing before moving into retail at Marks and Spencer. From 2004 to 2021, she worked for Sainsbury’s as Director of Sainsbury’s Brand with responsibility for all aspects of Sainsbury’s product offer, including Corporate Responsibility and Public Affairs. She is a Non-Executive Director of the Environment Agency, Chair of the Rugby Players Association, an ambassador for the Woodland Trust and a member of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Europe Council. Judith was awarded an OBE in 2015 for services to Farming and the Food Industry. She is also a Commissioner on the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission.

Professor Christopher Gilligan

Professor Gilligan is currently a Director of Research at the University of Cambridge, where he has previously held the posts of Head of the School of Biological Sciences and Professor of Mathematical Biology. He has chaired a number of complex bodies, including the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Science Advisory Council for Defra and the UK Tree Health and Plant Security Taskforce. He is also a former Trustee of the Natural History Museum. He was awarded the CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2015 for services to plant health in the field of epidemiology. He continues to lead research programmes in epidemiological modelling to manage disease in staple crops and the natural environment.

Sir Paul Nurse

Sir Paul is a geneticist and cell biologist whose discoveries have helped to explain how the cell controls its cycle of growth and division. He is currently Chief Executive and Director of the Francis Crick Institute, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Board Member. He was previously President of Rockefeller University New York and was President of the Royal Society. Paul received a knighthood in 1999, the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2001, the Legion d’Honneur from France in 2002, and the Order of the Rising Sun from Japan in 2018. In November 2022, he was appointed to the Order of Merit.

David Richardson

David Richardson grew up in Northern Ireland and is currently Director of Horticulture at Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), which has a global historic estate which spans over 150 countries and is one of the world’s largest gardening organisations. He has worked predominantly within the horticultural discipline for the CWGC for over 30 years, in all its major geographies and has recently led initiatives on performance management and chemical reduction. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and has served on the Institute’s Council. He is also a Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Gardeners.

Notes to editors:

• All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.
• The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific organisation, known for its vast collections and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development. Kew Gardens was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2023 and celebrated its 260th anniversary in 2019.
• The current RBG Kew Board of Trustees is now made up of: Dame Amelia Fawcett, Steve Almond, Judith Batchelar, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Professor Christopher Gilligan, Sir Paul Nurse, David Richardson, John Scanlon, Kate Priestman, Professor Ian Graham and Fay Cooke.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 22 April 2024.

Fund will help groups of farmers investigate how they can better manage water for use in time of drought, helping to safeguard food security.

Groups of farmers will be offered support to work together to store water and protect against the impact of drought through a new fund launched by the government today (Monday 22 April).

The £1.6 million fund will be used by farmers to investigate different methods to manage water in their area. Projects could include multi-farm reservoirs, treated waste-water recycling systems, water trading and sharing schemes.

The fund will support around 20 studies and will also investigate water demand and availability in the most water-stressed agricultural areas over the next 25-year period.

It delivers on the Prime Minister’s commitment at last year’s Farm to Fork Summit to support farmers to identify local water resource schemes which will help to build resilience into the water supply, support food production and safeguard food security.

Applications open today with groups of two or more neighbouring farms eligible to apply. The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 16 June.

Water Minister Robbie Moore said:

Water is our most valuable resource, and we want to support farmers to come together to manage it efficiently on their land.

By storing water when it’s wet, they’ll have more to use when it’s dry – helping to support food production and boost the resilience of farm businesses across the country.

Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, said:

Climate change, increased demand, and the need to protect the environment mean that up to 5bn extra litres of water will be needed in England every day by 2050.

By working together, farmers can make a huge positive impact in improving our use of water resources, making sure they have water to use in times of drought and safeguarding our food security.

The fund will help to identify opportunities to build on the success of existing projects, including:

• Felixstowe Hydrocycle – a multi-farm project currently repurposing more than 0.5 million tonnes of excess land drainage water per year – the equivalent of more than 225 Olympic swimming pools which would otherwise be lost to sea, for agricultural irrigation on six farms.
• Lincoln Water Transfer – a member organisation where 19 farms share a single abstraction licence to take water from Fossdyke Navigation to irrigate 4,600 hectares of land – using a pool system to allocate water which creates greater flexibility in land and water use.

The Environment Agency will also use the fund to work with stakeholders such as farmers, landowners and Water Abstractor Groups to safeguard a healthy farming sector in future and highlight the needs of agriculture in Regional Water Resources Plans.

The funding builds on existing support from government to help farmers make efficient use of water resources – such as the Water Management Grant – as well as setting strict targets for water companies to deliver a 50% reduction in leakage from 2017/18 levels by 2050.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 22 April 2024.

The UK Government will introduce new world-leading legislation to ban wet wipes containing plastic.

• Government announces next steps to ban the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic following overwhelming support during the consultation process
• World-leading legislation will be introduced this year to help tackle plastic pollution and clean up waterways
• Transition period set out for businesses to help them adapt

The UK Government will introduce new world-leading legislation to ban wet wipes containing plastic, the Environment Secretary has confirmed today (22 April 2024).

Defra intend to bring forward the legislation for England ahead of summer recess, with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales following by the autumn as part of an aligned approach to bring the ban into force.

Wet wipes containing plastic break down into microplastics over time, which research shows can be harmful to human health and disrupt our ecosystems – with a recent survey showing an average of 20 wet wipes were found per 100 metres of beach surveyed across the UK*.

Once in our water environment, wet wipes containing plastic can accumulate biological and chemical pollutants, increasing the risk of harm to the animals and humans who encounter them.

Banning them will reduce plastic and microplastic pollution and reduce the volume of microplastics entering wastewater treatment sites when wrongly flushed – meaning our beaches and waterways will benefit from the ban.

Responses to the public consultation showed overwhelming support for the proposed ban – which will be introduced via secondary legislation under our Environmental Protection Act 1990 – with 95% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing with the proposals. The government’s response has been published today alongside the Welsh Government, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive.

Marking Earth Day 2024, with its theme of ‘Planet vs. Plastics’, the response sets out next steps to deliver the ban, building on action taken across the UK to tackle plastic pollution.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

Wet wipes containing plastic are polluting our waterways and causing microplastics to enter the environment. Defra will introduce legislation before the summer recess to crack down on this unnecessary source of pollution, following our successful single-use carrier bag charge and ban on microbeads in personal care products.

I have been clear that a step change is needed to protect our waterways from pollution. The ban builds on a raft of actions already taken to protect our waterways and hold water companies accountable – including accelerating investment, putting water company fines back into the environment and quadrupling the number of inspections of water company sites.

Plastic-free wet wipes are readily available and several retailers have already stopped selling wet wipes containing plastic.

Steve Ager, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer at Boots, said:

Boots removed all wet wipes containing plastic from sale in stores and online last year as part of our long-standing commitment to sustainability and working with suppliers and customers to reduce the use of plastic.

We are pleased to see the government now taking action as a ban on all wet wipes containing plastic will have a much bigger impact than retailers taking action alone. We all have a collective responsibility to protect the environment and support a healthy planet.

Luke Emery, Plastics and Packaging Director at Aldi, said:

The removal of plastic from Aldi wet wipes two years ago has been positive for our customers and the environment.

It has removed an estimated 7,000 tonnes of unnecessary plastic from the system and has been welcomed by Aldi shoppers. We support the introduction of this new legislation and the positive impact it will have for everyone.

An 18-month transition period will start from when legislation is passed to allow businesses time to prepare. Following consultation with industry, the ban will not include the manufacture of these products, in line with other recent single-use plastic bans.

However, the government will continue to encourage manufacturers to move to a position where all their wet wipes are plastic free.

The government response also sets out exemptions to ensure that wet wipes containing plastic remain available where there is no viable alternative – such as for medical disinfectant purposes. The Government will review the need for these exemptions regularly.

Notes to editors:

Today’s announcement follows recent measures delivered to improve the water environment, including:

• A new £11m Water Restoration Fund to reinvest water company fines and penalties back into the water environment.
• Requiring companies to monitor 100% of storm overflows in England – providing a complete picture of when and where sewage spills happen.
• Removing the cap on civil penalties for water companies and broadening their scope so swifter action can be taken against those who pollute our waterways.
• Requiring the largest infrastructure programme in water company history – £60 billion over 25 years – to revamp ageing assets and reduce the number of sewage spills by hundreds of thousands every year.
• Increasing protections for coastal and estuarine waters by expanding the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, prioritising bathing waters, sites of special scientific interest and shellfish waters.
• A targeted plan to better preserve and protect the River Wye, including £35m in funding.
• Speeding up the process of building key water supply infrastructure, including more reservoirs and water transfer schemes.
• The government also continues to support Water UK’s ‘Bin the Wipe’ campaign to address the environmental and drainage impacts of flushing wet wipes. Advice is clear that only the 3 P’s (Pee, Poo & [toilet] Paper) should ever be flushed down a toilet.

*For the period 2015 to 2020, an average of 20 wet wipes were found per 100m of beach surveyed across the UK according to Defra Beach Litter Monitoring Data.