Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 12 April 2024.

River Wye Action Plan launched to preserve the long-term health of the river.

The Farming Minister today (12th April 2024) has announced a new plan to better protect and preserve the River Wye for future generations, including up to £35 million in funding and the appointment of a new ‘River Champion’ and taskforce.

The River Wye and its surrounding area is cherished by residents and visitors, however, the condition of the river is declining due to pressures including climate change, invasive species, and pollution from various sources, including from farms across the catchment area. The government is working at pace to intervene after the condition of the River Wye Special Area of Conservation (SAC), which covers the stretch of the river in England, was downgraded to ‘Unfavourable – Declining’ last year.

The River Wye Action Plan sets out a range of measures to begin protecting the river immediately from pollution and establish long-term plans to restore it for future generations. This includes requiring large poultry farms to export manure away from areas where they would otherwise cause excess pollution and providing up to £35m in grant support for on-farm poultry manure combustors in the Wye Special Area of Conservation catchment to facilitate the export of poultry litter to where it is needed.

Combusting poultry manure provides a source of renewable energy and converts manure to a nutrient rich ash, which is a valuable fertiliser that is easier to transport and use on farms – reducing risk to the environment. Any new combustion units will need approval and we will work with local stakeholders and regulators to ensure robust assessments for protection of the environment and human health.

The Farming Minister has also appointed former Member of European Parliament, Anthea McIntyre CBE, as ‘River Champion’ in the Wye catchment. As a resident of the Wye Catchment and having represented the West Midlands Region as an MEP for eight years, Anthea will bring a deep understanding and appreciation for local issues – particularly in the water and agricultural sectors.

In this role, she will bring together key organisations and partners to protect and restore the Wye, including by supporting a long-term catchment plan. This will involve working alongside the local Catchment Partnership and citizen scientists, who have already made great progress in bringing together farmers and other land managers around a long-term plan to restore the river.

The River Wye Action Plan builds on significant measures already in place under our Plan for Water and farming schemes to help farmers speed up their transition to more sustainable agricultural practices.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

The River Wye is facing real challenges, which is why the government is taking action to restore this important landscape and ensure it is better protected for future generations.

Our plan will dramatically reduce the amount of nutrients entering the river, mostly by helping farmers transition to more sustainable practices. This will include providing up to £35m for on farm poultry litter combustors and trialling the use of emerging technology to help farmers share organic nutrients with their neighbours.

I’m also pleased to announce the appointment of Anthea McIntyre, who as a local and a former West Midlands region MEP will spearhead government action on the ground to improve the health of the river.

River Champion Anthea McIntyre CBE said:

I’m very honoured to be appointed as the River Wye Champion and look forward to working with all the committed partners in the Wye Catchment to improve the quality of our vitally important river.

Having lived close to the River Wye since my teens, and represented this area over many years, I am determined to work collaboratively with all the interested parties to ensure the river is restored and protected for future generations.

Marc Lidderth, Area Director for the West Midlands, Environment Agency said:

The River Wye is a beautiful and important part of our landscape, our resources and community wellbeing. The introduction of this wide-ranging plan allows the Environment Agency to capitalise on its work already underway with partners, local farmers and environmental groups to tackle the decline in water quality in the catchment. Together we can progress the long-term solutions needed to restore this vital waterway.

Since April 2023, the Environment Agency has carried out over 500 farm inspections across the Wye catchment, helping farmers comply with legal requirements and resulting in more than 315 actions identified to improve farm practices. These range from improving slurry storage to better management of nutrients. Our regulatory work will continue across the Wye, with Environment Agency officers inspecting farms as well as using technology such as satellite images and drone footage.

Emma Johnson, Deputy Director for the West Midlands, Natural England said:

A healthy and thriving River Wye and the catchment is key to recovering nature in Herefordshire, so benefiting wildlife and people. We are pleased to see further action being implemented by the government to support the wide range of partners working to restore the Wye.

Natural England is delivering nature positive advice supporting hundreds of farms within the Wye catchment as part of the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme and backing the Wyescapes and Wye Valley – Ridge to River – Landscape Recovery Projects in the area, as well development of Herefordshire’s local nature recovery strategy.

Further actions outlined in the plan include:

• Creating a level playing field for the export of poultry manure from intensive poultry farms with over 40,000 birds by reforming Environmental Permitting Regulations.
• Proving the concept of a circular economy in manure nutrients with the potential added benefit of boosting rural renewable energy, through a carefully supported Pilot Farm Trial of Micro Anaerobic Digesters (AD).
• Promoting soil and nutrient retention in local fields with new actions in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) in Summer 2024, including No Till arable farming.
• Providing £1.5 million of development funding to the local Wyescapes and Wye Valley – Ridge to River – Landscape Recovery Projects over the next two years (subject to the projects passing enrolment checks).
• Providing funding for the Restoring our Rivers project and Arrow Valley Diversity Project, delivered with local partners in the next financial year.
• Working with partners in academia, agriculture and the third sector (both in England and Wales) to produce new evidence on how farmers can mitigate pollution, including from legacy phosphate deeper in the soil structure.

The excellent work of citizen scientists has helped the government better understand the challenges the river is facing, and this Plan aims to build on their efforts to prevent and reverse damage.

Improved nutrient management will also deliver benefits for farmers, such as reducing reliance on inorganic fertilisers, a major input cost for farmers. We will continue to work closely with the community and partners in England and Wales to ensure we are taking the necessary steps to best protect the river.

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

Fund will support farmers who suffered uninsurable damage to their land due to flooding earlier this year with grants of between £500 and £25,000.

The government has today (9 April) opened the Farming Recovery Fund to support farmers who suffered uninsurable damage to their land due to flooding this winter.

Under the scheme, eligible farmers can access grants of between £500 and £25,000 to return their land to the condition it was in before exceptional flooding due to Storm Henk.

Eligible farmers are being contacted directly by Rural Payments Agency (RPA) outlining the support available to them through the Farming Recovery Fund and how they can make a claim.

The fund forms part of a broader scheme called the Flood Recovery Framework which is activated in exceptional circumstances to support councils and communities following severe flooding.

The fund will initially be open in those local authority areas where the Flood Recovery Framework has already been activated to help farms which have experienced the highest levels of flooding. These are Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, West Northamptonshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire.

Eligibility for the fund will remain under review by Defra to ensure it is supporting areas where farmland is most impacted. The further counties under review are Berkshire, Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, Norfolk and Derbyshire.

Farming Minster Mark Spencer said:

I know how difficult this winter has been for farmers, with extreme weather such as Storm Henk having a devastating impact on both cropping and grazing, as well as damaging property and equipment.

The Farming Recovery Fund will support farmers who suffered uninsurable damage with grants of up to £25,000, and sits alongside broader support in our farming schemes to improve flood resilience.

In January, the government announced its intention to open the fund and have consulted with stakeholders and developed an eligibility criteria. This analysis has identified fields that are eligible. This means the RPA can write to eligible farmers directly to invite them to claim and will allow payments to be made more quickly once a claim has been received.

Farmers are already eligible for support through the Flood Recovery Framework, including a grant of up to £2,500 as part of the Business Recovery Grant.

The last year has seen exceptionally heavy rainfall across the UK, with 2023 named by the Met Office as the 6th wettest year since its records began in 1836.

Since 2015, the government has protected over 900,000 acres of agricultural land from the impacts of flooding and are investing £5.6 billion to better protect hundreds of thousands of properties in communities, including many in rural areas.

Update – 11 April

Following feedback from farmers, the eligibility criteria for the scheme has been updated to fully remove the 150m limit. This means that farmers will be able to receive payments for all land parcels which are flooded contiguous to an eligible river.

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

Total fishing opportunities worth over £970 million secured for the UK fishing industry for 2024.

Fishing opportunities worth over £970 million were secured for the UK fishing industry in 2024, a new report published by the government today (Wednesday 10 April) has revealed.

During its fourth year operating as an independent coastal state, the UK has secured an increase of around 61,000 tonnes (9%) and approximately £53 million (6%) in fishing opportunities since last year, following discussions across three key negotiating forums: the UK-EU, UK-EU-Norway, and Coastal State negotiations. This brings the total fishing opportunities secured for the UK fleet in 2024 to around 752,000 tonnes, worth approximately £973 million.

Since leaving the EU, the UK now has a larger share of many of the quotas set at these negotiations, including for Western mackerel and North Sea herring. The UK has secured an estimated additional £132 million in fishing opportunities in 2024 than it would have received were it an EU member state.

Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer said:

We are committed to negotiating access to high-value fish stocks that will support a sustainable and profitable UK fishing industry both now and in the future.

By taking advantage of our position outside of the EU to independently negotiate in our fishing fleet’s best interests, we’ve secured a better deal for our fishermen while continuing to protect our marine environment.

The ‘Economic outcomes of annual negotiations for UK fishing opportunities in 2024’ report outlines the tonnage and value of total 2024 UK quota from all sources. This report was published alongside a report assessing the sustainability of fisheries catch limits negotiated by the UK for 2024.

The UK takes a rigorous approach to assessing the sustainability of negotiated outcomes, with more stringent reporting than other coastal states. For this year, 46% of total allowable catches (TACs) were set in line with the scientific advice, up from 40% in 2023, making this the most sustainable deal since the UK left the EU.

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

Up to £11 million in water company fines and penalties will be reinvested back into a new Water Restoration Fund (WRF), Environment Secretary Steve Barclay announced today (Tuesday 9th April).

All water company environmental fines and penalties since April 2022 have been ringfenced to directly improve the water environment.

The Water Restoration Fund will offer grant funding on a competitive basis to support local groups, farmers and landowners and community-led schemes, bolstering their capacity and capabilities for on-the-ground projects to improve the water environment. This could include activities that improve biodiversity and community access to blue and green spaces in areas where water companies have been issued with fines or penalties.

This delivers on the government’s long-term plan, set out in its Plan for Water, to clean up our waters and make polluters pay for the damage they cause to the environment.

The launch of the Fund follows significant action taken in recent months to hold water companies to account, including a ban on bonuses for water company executives where firms have committed serious criminal breaches, subject to Ofwat consultation, and plans to quadruple the Environment Agency’s regulatory capacity, enabling them to carry out 4,000 water company inspections by the end of this financial year.

Funding for the Water Restoration Fund comes exclusively from water company fines and penalties. These penalties and fines are additional to any reparations that water companies make when they have breached environmental regulations.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

I know how important our precious waterways are to local communities and to nature, which is why we’re taking tough action to ensure our regulators are well-equipped to hold those who pollute them to account.

Through the Water Restoration Fund, I will be making sure that money from fines and penalties – taken from water company profits only – is channelled directly back into our waterways.

Community-led projects are vital to improving and maintaining water quality across the country, and this fund will help build on that success.”

Natural England’s chief executive Marian Spain said:

Natural England welcomes the creation of Defra’s Water Restoration Fund, using the money from water company fines and penalties to improve water and wetlands for nature and people, and looks forward to supporting Defra to make good use of the funds now available.

The fund is great opportunity for landowners, communities and nature bodies to help make a real difference to the condition of our Sites of Special Scientific Interest and to restore natural processes in catchments to provide the nature and health benefits that society needs from water.

The fund will be open to a range of organisations in England, including farmers and landowners, eNGOs, Local Authorities, catchment partnerships, National Parks and National Landscapes.

The £11 million in fines and penalties collected will be allocated for water improvements in the water company areas on which they were accrued in:

• Anglian Water: £3,085,000
• South West Water: £2,150,000
• Thames Water: £3,334,000
• United Utilities: £800,000
• Yorkshire Water: £1,600,750

Applicants will have an eight-week window to apply from today, with grant awards expected to be issued from late July. For further details, please refer to our application guidance.

Further improvements recently delivered to the water environment include:

• 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.
• Providing £10 million in support for farmers to store more water on their land through the Water Management Grants to support food production and improve water security.
• 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 12 March 2024.

Lloyds Banking Group provides £250,000 funding to three nature restoration projects in England through the ‘Projects for Nature online’ platform.

• The Government publishes an update on progress under its Nature Markets Framework, setting out action taken and next steps for boosting private finance into ecosystem services in England
• Announcement comes ahead of the launch of the British Standards Institution’s consultation on their first Nature Investment Standard, setting overarching principles for UK nature markets

Private sector funding for nature recovery projects took a major step forward today with Lloyds Banking Group becoming the first organisation to provide funding through the government-developed Projects for Nature platform.

The pioneering online platform has been developed as part of an effort to boost corporate donations from the private sector to create bigger, better, and more joined-up spaces for nature.

Projects for Nature connects businesses and other donors with 25 nature recovery projects across England. Projects on the platform are screened by Defra, Natural England and the Environment Agency, helping to ensure that funding aligns with national and local environmental priorities.

The three projects receiving the £250,000 funding from Lloyds Banking Group through Projects for Nature are:

• Weald to Waves: A project to create a 100-mile nature recovery corridor, connecting over 20,000ha of habitats along 3 main rivers in Sussex to the coast; helping to boost biodiversity, reduce flooding, capture carbon and enhance the rural economy. The land-manager led project aims to offer a blueprint for nature recovery across built-up landscapes.
• Resilient Glenderamackin: One of the largest of its kind, this catchment-based project in Cumbria aims to deliver nature-based solutions to reduce flood risk, restore nature and mitigate climate change. Led by the West Cumbria Rivers Trust, the project will be co-designed with over 40 farmers and land managers to ensure the natural flood management interventions – which include re-wiggling rivers, planting trees and restoring wetlands – work for their businesses, which stretch across 11,000 ha.
• Peak District – Nature Recovery at Dalehead: The National Trust are working with partners and tenant farmers in the High Peak to manage the land in their care for nature, climate, and people. The funding announced today will support the restoration of 2.6km of wetland on a site nestled between the iconic landmarks of Mam Tor and Kinder Scout. It will also enable expansion of the Peak Regenerative Farmers initiative, which includes events, workshops, training and peer-to-peer support to support sustainable businesses that produce quality food alongside nature-friendly farming practices.

Green Finance Minister Lord Benyon, speaking at the Natural Capital Conference, said:

“Nature underpins the economy and is now a key part of the decisions being taken in boardrooms across the world.

“Private finance accounts for one sixth of the money going into nature at present, with public funds covering the rest. At today’s conference I set out how the Government wants to see a massive increase.

“Under the Green Finance Strategy and Nature Markets Framework this Government set out the vision for scaling up private investment into nature recovery, and today’s update sets out our aim to make nature markets bigger and better through robust market rules and infrastructure.”

Alan Law, Chief Officer for Strategy at Natural England said:

“All industries and sections of society think about the ways that they can contribute to protecting our natural environment if we are to put nature on the road to recovery. Successful collaboration is key and this is a great example. Work on frameworks and standards is essential if we are to join up the contributions from many initiatives into something that is coherent and lasting.

“Projects for Nature is a flagship pathway for the private sector to support meaningful nature restoration projects, offering a reliable platform to businesses looking for a way to do their bit for nature. At Natural England, we’re delighted to see today’s funding announcement from Lloyds Banking Group which will restore the natural world, create habitats for our precious species and help mitigate the impacts of climate change.”

Neil Davies, Director of Sustainability, Funding and Service Operations at the Environment Agency said:

“Today’s announcement shows that there is real appetite amongst businesses to support nature recovery, and shows how this can translate into action to benefit our natural environment.

“We at the Environment Agency are pleased to play a role in making this possible through the Projects for Nature platform and we will continue to work with Defra and Natural England to connect businesses who want to show leadership on nature protection with the projects which can help them have the greatest possible impact.”

 Andrew Walton, Chief Sustainability Officer at Lloyds Banking Group said:

“The UK ranks among the most nature-depleted countries globally, highlighting the pressing need for collective action. As the UK’s largest financial services provider, we recognise the crucial role we must play in tackling the loss of nature to ensure a more resilient and thriving natural environment for the future.

“Becoming a founding partner of Projects for Nature will enable us to make a tangible difference to combating nature loss in communities across England, exploring innovative approaches to protect and restore our natural ecosystems, ultimately helping Britain prosper.”

Projects for Nature is part of a much broader government effort to stimulate private funding for nature.

The Nature Markets Framework, published one year ago set out the government’s approach and vision for scaling up private investment into nature recovery,  the ecosystem market, and sustainable farming. Today, an update on progress under the Framework sets out action taken over the past year and next steps in an effort to close the nature funding gap in England through accelerating the development of efficient, high integrity nature markets.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) is also expected to publish the first iteration of the Overarching Principles Standard later this month. This is the first in a suite of nature investment standards produced by the BSI and will be vital to drive out greenwash and give clarity to all nature market participants – buyers, sellers, investors and intermediaries – enabling investment in a wide range of habitats and ecosystem services.

This comes as part of the BSI Nature Investment Standards (BSI) Programme, through which Defra and the BSI have been working with businesses, public bodies, land management, environmental and financial stakeholders to inform the development of standards.

The announcements set out today will help the government to reach its goal to grow annual private investment flows to nature to at least £500 million every year by 2027 in England, rising to more than £1 billion by 2030.

Notes to the editors

• To read the Nature Markets Framework progress update, visit: Nature Markets Framework progress update March 2024 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Later this year, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will launch a public consultation with support from Defra and Treasury in the coming months. This consultation will build the case for how the government can further support the growth of high-integrity, voluntary carbon and nature markets and to protect against greenwashing.
• Projects for Nature is an online platform, which matches corporate donations to nature recovery projects, screened by Defra, Natural England and Environment Agency to ensure projects align with the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). Launched at COP28 by the Secretary of State, the initiative established a pioneering partnership with the Council for Sustainable Business, Crowdfunder, and Accenture – bringing together government, expert bodies, NGOs, businesses, and the public to fund nature. A diverse portfolio of 25 projects has been selected for the first phase, with diversity in scale, desired outcomes, and geographic spread across England—as well as a variety of societal benefits. Businesses on the platform are screened to confirm they are already taking action to avoid and reduce their own environmental impacts, as a prerequisite for their funding of Projects for Nature. Projects on the platform cannot be used as offsets.
• Nature Markets Framework sets out how government will guide and support the development of nature markets capable of supporting elevated investment levels. It also outlines the government’s vision to hardwire integrity and principles into the market framework to build trust and confidence so markets can grow at pace in line with our increased environmental ambition.
• BSI Nature Investment Standards (BSI) Programme is sponsored by Defra, and was launched in March 2023.  Further information on the programme and to feed into live consultations go here: BSI Nature Investment Standards Hub.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 12 March 2024.

Environment Secretary launches proposals to make food labelling clearer and fairer, delivering on commitment to back British farming.

Plans to give shoppers more information about how and where their food is produced and ensure British farmers’ products get the recognition they deserve, were launched today (Tuesday 12 March) by Environment Secretary Steve Barclay.

The proposals for fairer food labelling will ensure greater transparency around the origin of food and methods of production, helping consumers make decisions that align with their values.

The consultation looks at how to improve country of origin labelling for certain goods, including how and where this information is displayed and what products should be included. For example, if imported pork is cured into bacon in the UK and features a Union Jack, exploring ways to make it more obvious to consumers that the pig was reared abroad – such as increasing the size of the country of origin text, or placing it on the front of the packet.

It also sets out proposals to require ‘method of production’ labelling on pork, chicken and eggs. These include a mandatory five-tier label for both domestic and imported products which would differentiate between those that fall below, meet and exceed baseline UK animal welfare regulations, which are some of the highest in the world.

The consultation was announced by the Environment Secretary at the Oxford Farming Conference in January, and builds on commitments in the Government food strategy – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

It follows recently announced measures designed to support farmers and promote fairness in the supply chain, including the largest ever round of farming grants announced by the Prime Minister at the NFU conference in February, an annual Farm to Fork Summit to increase industry collaboration, and new regulations to ensure fair and transparent contracts for dairy farmers.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

This government backs British farmers, who work hard to produce food to world-leading standards and maintain our nation’s food security. British consumers want to buy their produce, but too often products made to lower standards abroad aren’t clearly labelled to tell them apart.

That is why I want to make labelling showing where and how food is produced fairer and easier to understand – empowering consumers to make informed choices and rewarding our British farmers for producing high-quality, high-welfare food.

James Bailey, Executive Director of Waitrose, said:

We have a proud history supporting British farmers and are the leading retailer for animal welfare. Everyone deserves to know where their food comes from – how it was grown, reared or made.

Better information boosts demand for higher standards, as we’ve seen with mandatory egg labelling. Extending this to more products benefits shoppers, farmers, and animals.

We support the government’s efforts to improve transparency and ensure shoppers aren’t misled, while giving farmers recognition for their commitment to animal welfare.

Fidelity Weston, Chair of the Consortium of Labelling for the Environment, Animal Welfare and Regenerative Farming (CLEAR) said:

We are looking forward to the opportunity to comment on Defra’s proposed food labelling consultation and we are glad to see that progress to help the consumer understand more about how and where their food has been produced is beginning to be considered.

We in the UK have some of the highest farming standards, producing quality food products. That needs to be recognised in the marketplace. To achieve this, we need a clear definition of the many terms used to describe the method of production, and transparency and honest data about how the food was produced on the farm, and right through to the end product.

Through this, we have an opportunity to support the transition put in place by the Government to move the UK to more agroecological farming methods with improved outcomes for nature, the environment and people, alongside food production.

Creating fairer labels that back British farmers is vital for the UK economy. British farmers already produce about 60% of the food we eat, with the UK agri-food and seafood sectors creating more than £120 billion of value for the economy every year, and employing more than 4 million people.

The consultation also seeks views on whether it should be mandatory requirement to state the origin of meat, seafood and dairy products outside of the home, for example on menus in cafes and restaurants, to give consumers access to the same information while dining out as when cooking at home.

The consultation will run for eight weeks, closing at 23:45 on 7 May 2024.

Notes to Editors

We are seeking views on options for changing origin labelling including:

• Mandatory origin labelling for minimally processed meat products, such as bacon
• Increased visibility of origin labelling
• Mandatory origin labelling for certain foods in the out of home sector, for example restaurants
• Greater control of the use of national flags on labels

The consultation also proposes:

• A mandatory label with five tiers and underpinning standards that are primarily based on method of production, differentiating between products that fall below, meet and exceed relevant baseline UK animal welfare regulations.
• The label would cover pork, chicken and eggs applying to both domestic and imported products. Labelling for dairy, beef and sheep meat will be kept under review, subject to further consultation.
• This would apply to all unprocessed pork, chicken and eggs and certain prepacked and loose minimally processed products with pork, chicken or egg.

We are also seeking views more generally on how seafood is labelled.

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

Fast-tracked investment of £180m over the next 12 months is expected to prevent more than 8,000 sewage spills polluting English waterways, the Environment Secretary announced today (Monday 11 March).

It follows the Secretary of State directing water and sewage companies last December to measurably reduce sewage spills over the next year by accelerating commitments and delivering new funding.

Examples of measures include investment in AI systems to help manage storm loads, the installation of thousands of new in-sewer monitors to check flows and spot blockages early, the recruitment and training of specialist staff, and accelerated wetland construction programmes.

These new funding commitments are in addition to water companies’ existing £3.1 billion investment into storm overflow improvements for this price review period (2020-2025), as well as their ongoing annual investment to maintain the performance of the existing network.

The accelerated improvements, which will be delivered by April 2025, support the targets under the government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. This is driving the largest infrastructure investment in water company history, estimated at £60 billion over the next 25 years.

It also follows the recent ban on bonuses for water company executives where firms have committed serious criminal breaches, subject to Ofwat consultation, and the quadrupling of the Environment Agency’s regulatory capacity, enabling them to carry out 4,000 water company inspections by the end of the next financial year.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

The amount of sewage being spilled into our rivers is completely unacceptable and the public rightly expects action. This £180 million of accelerated investment, which will stop more than 8,000 sewage spills over the next year, is a welcome step forward as we continue to push for better performance from water companies and hold them to account.

This money will mean more cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence, and more specialist staff to detect and reduce spills.

Today’s announcement builds on significant work by this government to protect and strengthen our waters with increased investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement action.

Further information

Company	New funding (£m)	Expected outcomes
Anglian	£50m	The new funding will support Anglian’s commitment to having less than 20 spills per overflow by 2025, in line with their Get River Positive commitments and Ofwat Performance Commitments. It will deliver: 8000 additional sewer monitors to check flows and spot blockages early (building on the 22,000 new monitors already being installed); additional planned preventative maintenance in 100 catchments using insights from the new sewer monitors; additional teams across the East of England focussed on early response to spills to further reduce their duration and frequency; and the completion of a second ecological digital twin for the River Wensum in Norfolk to take a catchment-based partnership approach to spill reduction.
Severn Trent	£41m	The new funding commitment will deliver an estimated 2500 fewer spills and will enable the following: recruitment of staff and improving equipment in waste network teams; installing EDM dual monitors to provide a back-up data source; doubling the number of Network Technicians; investing in a new AI solution to manage storm load by automatically adjusting water levels in storage tanks; and asset improvement
Southern	£10m	The new funding commitment will deliver an estimated 120 fewer spills from storm overflows and will enable the following: expansion of optimisation activity; a real-time digital wastewater catchment control; an additional surface water pathfinder catchment; an additional programme of ground water infiltration reduction of both customer and public sewers; and an accelerated construction programme for wetlands benefitting Chichester Harbour.
South West	£32m	The new funding commitment will deliver an estimated 4000 fewer spills from storm overflows and will enable the following: significantly increasing Sewer Level Monitors by 31 March 2025; increasing sewer network cleansing in 2024 (already doubled in 2023); increasing structural defect repairs from 55 to 85 per month (Jan to June 2024); doubling installation of power relays at pumping stations; diverting groundwater at 30 key wastewater treatment works (£25m); doubling WwTW generator services (Jan to April 2024); enhanced inspections at all wastewater treatment works; and increasing storm storage by adding over 6,000m3 additional capacity to the network.
United Utilities	£39m	The new funding commitment will deliver an estimated 1700 fewer spills from storm overflows and will enable the following: AI analysis of networks to direct proactive maintenance; following a pilot this year, deploying interim solutions at 29 sites; rainwater separation, including industrial sized smart butts at schools; further improvements to their wastewater network; and ‘quick win’ improvements to existing assets, such as changing weir heights, removing infiltration and optimising pumping stations to reduce spills.
Wessex	£8m	The new funding commitment will deliver an estimated 200 fewer spills from storm overflows and will enable the following: a further 3500 sewer depth monitors; new smart network for sewer management; and infiltration reduction.
Totals	£180m

• Some companies have already announced that they are taking forward additional investment to tackle storm overflows this year and are therefore not included in the overall investment figure. This includes Northumbrian investing an additional £29.8m this year to accelerate their spill reduction programme, and Yorkshire Water investing an additional £99m.

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

Will Quince MP appointed to conduct review into public sector food procurement.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay has today (Monday 11 March) appointed Will Quince MP as an independent advisor to support the government’s ongoing work to improve food procurement in the public sector.

His review will:

• seek ways to make the system more accessible to small- and medium-sized businesses and farmers, as well as boosting animal welfare and environmental standards.
• look at how the government can further promote high standards for food and catering services, for example in hospitals or local authority settings, such as residential care.
• consider opportunities to extend the reach of the existing framework, the Government Buying Standard for food and catering services, particularly to education settings.
• explore how we can ensure more compliance with the GBSF, or have institutions go above and beyond in areas like nutrition or waste prevention.

Will Quince MP worked in the food and drink industry prior to becoming an MP, and has since held ministerial roles at both the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care.

Mr Quince will engage with stakeholders across the public sector food and catering supply chain and will also examine international practices.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

I’m pleased to appoint Will Quince to conduct a review of our public sector food procurement.

We will ensure our schools, hospitals and armed forces are using their budgets to support sustainable food produced to the high animal welfare standards we have here in Britain, which are some of the best in the world.

Will Quince is ideally placed to lead this work given his wealth of experience in numerous departments, including DHSC and DfE.

Will Quince MP said:

Public bodies spend around £5bn on food every year so it’s right that we look at opportunities to boost the impact food procurement has on the environment and the local community.

Whether it’s schools, our armed forces, hospitals, prisons or local councils, I look forward to working with all those involved in the production, buying, cooking, serving and consumption of food in public bodies to identify the ways in which we can deliver on our commitments on climate, nature and health and considering the benefits of, and barriers to delivering food that is fresh, local and sustainable.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 5 March 2024.

Measures have been signed into law today (Tuesday 5 March) to ban the keeping of primates as pets.

The legislation brings in a licensing scheme setting strict rules to ensure that only private keepers who meet new welfare and licensing standards will be able to keep primates, delivering on a manifesto commitment and Action Plan for Animal Welfare pledge to provide greater legal protection for pet primates.

The measures come into force from 6 April 2026 when all primates in England will need to be kept to these zoo-level standards – in effect banning the practice of keeping primates as pets.

It is estimated that up to 5,000 primates are currently kept in domestic settings as pets in the UK. These wild animals have complex welfare and social needs and, according to most experts, cannot be properly cared for in these environments. The new measures will improve the welfare of potentially thousands of these intelligent animals.

Animal Welfare Minister Lord Douglas-Miller said:

“We are proud to have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, including these new restrictions which will help tackle the inadequate conditions that some of these inquisitive creatures are kept in.

“Anyone who fails to provide the same welfare standards as found in a zoo faces a fine and having the primate removed from their care.”

RSPCA Head of Public Affairs David Bowles said:

“Meeting the needs of monkeys and other primates is practically impossible to do in a household, domestic environment.

“That’s why this legislation will be a really important moment for animal welfare – ensuring primates can only be kept in an appropriate environment, as we all strive to create a better world for every animal.

“Too often, our dedicated officers are called to properties where monkeys live in the wrong surroundings, eat totally inappropriate diets and are at risk of suffering behind closed doors. This new law has the potential to change that.”

Under the law all private primate keepers will be required to hold a licence, issued by their local authority, with failure to comply with licence conditions resulting in an unlimited fine or removal of the primate. Defra will work closely with local authorities to make sure that they have the appropriate tools and guidance to ensure that enforcement will be carried out effectively.

The new law builds on our recent consultation and flagship Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which committed us to going even further to protect animals, including banning the export of live animals with a Bill currently going through Parliament.

Since publishing the Action Plan for Animal Welfare in 2021, we have brought in new laws to recognise animal sentience; introduced tougher penalties for animal cruelty offences; extended the ivory ban to cover other ivory bearing species; and supported legislation to ban glue traps, the import of detached shark fins and measures to ban the advertising and offering for sale of low welfare activities abroad.

The UK was the first country in the world to introduce animal cruelty offences and are the highest ranked G7 nation according to the World Animal Protection’s Index.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 4 March 2024.

English hedgerows will be protected in law as the government sets out its plans for domestic hedgerow regulations, following a consultation last year.

English hedgerows will be protected in law as the government today (4 March) sets out its plans for domestic hedgerow regulations, following a consultation last year.

Backed by over 95% of consultation responses, and providing continuity for farmers and land managers, the regulations will include a two metre ‘buffer strip’ from the centre of hedgerows with no cultivation or application of pesticides or fertilisers, and a hedge cutting ban between 1 March and 31 August to protect nesting birds.

A fairer, more proportionate enforcement approach focused on outcomes will see farmers provided with advice to help them comply with requirements – very different from the approach seen previously.

The regulations will support the efforts of many farmers already carrying out vital work to protect hedgerows, providing important ecological benefits including wildlife habitats, slowing soil erosion and water run-off, supporting crop pollinators and absorbing carbon.

This includes over 90,000km of hedgerows being managed through 16,000 agreements in the government’s Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes, and more than 13,000km of hedgerows created or restored using Countryside Stewardship grants.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

Farmers have been protecting, planting and maintaining our hedgerows for centuries and I want to thank them for their continued efforts to help wildlife thrive on their farms alongside food production.

I am delighted that thousands of farmers are taking up the support and guidance on offer in our Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.

Almost 9,000 consultation responses were received and highlighted clear support from farmers and environmental groups for hedgerows to be protected in law.

Alongside the two metre buffer strips and spring/summer hedge cutting ban, the government will also introduce a streamlined notification process for farmers needing an exemption to cut or trim hedges in August if they are sowing oilseed rape or temporary grass.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:

Hedgerows have long-shaped our beautiful countryside and provide homes for a huge variety of birds and wildlife, while delivering clear benefits for water, soil and the climate.

Our consultation showed just how valued our hedgerows are by farmers, the public and environmental groups alike, and these regulations will mean we can all reap the benefits they bring for generations to come.

The new requirements will be introduced as soon as Parliamentary time allows and will be regulated by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) who will provide advice and guidance to help farmers comply with the regulations. The government will also introduce civil and criminal sanctions to enable the RPA to take appropriate and proportionate actions against anyone causing serious or repeated damage.

The government will launch a consultation and work with farmers and environmental groups to inform the statutory guidance that will be used to enforce the regulations.

These regulations will sit alongside the existing Hedgerows Regulations 1997 which prohibit the removal of countryside hedgerows, or parts of them, without first seeking approval from the Local Planning Authority. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 meanwhile prohibits the killing, injuring or taking of wild birds, or taking or damaging their eggs and nests.

The full government response and summary of responses has been published online.