Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 2 December 2022.

New funding to plant trees in communities nationwide in honour of the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has been announced by Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison.

Defra will provide lead delivery partners of The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) with half a million pounds in funding to plant trees in communities across the country in honour of the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

As part of the national tree planting initiative in Her Majesty’s name – The Queen’s Green Canopy – funding of £499,000 will be provided for a special programme of planting to be delivered by QGC Partners including Trees for Cities, The Tree Council, The Conservation Volunteers and Earthwatch.

Working in cooperation with local authorities and communities, the funding will enable thousands of trees to be planted in over 60 locations across England, engaging communities that have limited access to nature and green spaces. The projects include:

• The Tree Council will plant 69,000 whips to create 14km of hedgerow in up to 50 locations, which will be chosen to increase biodiversity, local nature recovery and future flood alleviation.
• Trees for Cites will extend their “Forgotten Places” programme across five areas that are nature-deprived, planting a total of over 5,000 trees.
• Earthwatch will plant 1,800 trees to create three “Tiny Forests” in urban areas with low woodland cover. A Tiny Forest is a dense, fast-growing native woodland the size of a tennis court.
• The Conservation Volunteers will plant 1,500 saplings and propagate native species, including 2,500 Oak acorns, in their nursery for planting in the future.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said:

The Queen’s Green Canopy is a fitting tribute to the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Trees are at the heart of our communities and today’s funding will ensure that thousands more trees are planted across the country in her honour.

Forestry Commission Chair Sir William Worsley said:

Healthy and productive trees play a vital role in tackling climate change and protecting biodiversity. They also make our towns and cities healthier, from improving air quality to providing mental health benefits, enriching the quality of life for people from all socio-economic backgrounds.

This network of trees will provide continue to provide benefits to local communities as a lasting tribute to Her Majesty’s extraordinary service to her country and her people.

Chief Executive Officer of The Queen’s Green Canopy Dan Rex said:

The Queen’s Green Canopy is proud to be working with Defra and delivery partners to continue our programme of nationwide tree planting to honour the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and build a greener environment for generations to come. This funding will make a significant difference to benefit local communities in nature-deprived areas.

As a partner of The Queen’s Green Canopy, Defra is proud to work with QGC delivery partners to bring together this special planting programme in honour of Queen Elizabeth to the benefit of local communities and future generations.

The trees planted will become part of the living legacy which is being created in honour of Queen Elizabeth through The Queen’s Green Canopy, which has inspired over a million trees to be planted across the country in her name.

This Government is committed to trebling tree planting rates in England, as part of the landmark England Trees Action Plan, backed up by £675 million of funding. This will reflect England’s contribution to meeting the UK’s overall target of planting 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this Parliament.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 1 December 2022.

Defra Minister Lord Benyon has confirmed the appointment of Julia Wrathall as Non-Executive Director of the Animal Health & Welfare Board for England (AHWBE).

Julia Wrathall has been appointed for three years from 1 December 2022 and will replace Emma Slawinski as a Non-Executive Director.

The appointment has been made in accordance with the Ministerial Governance Code on Public Appointments. There is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if significant) to be declared. Julia has declared that she has not taken part in any significant political activity in the past five years.

The Animal Health & Welfare Board for England (AHWBE) is principal adviser to Defra on all strategic health and welfare matters relating to all kept animals in England. The Board’s role is to set the strategic policy framework, with responsibilities including developing and implementing animal health and welfare policy and ensuring value for money, assessing of the risk of animal disease threats and establishing surveillance and research priorities, monitoring the regulatory framework, approving the operational plans of the Animal and Plant Health Agency and other bodies, and reviewing contingency plans for dealing with new disease outbreaks.

Biographical details

Julia Wrathall

• Julia is an independent animal welfare consultant with a background in applied welfare science and policy development across many species and areas of human-animal interaction.
• She worked for the RSPCA for many years, where her roles included Chief Scientific Officer leading the work of the Society’s Science & Policy team, the development of the RSPCA’s farm animal welfare standards, and the Assurewel on-farm welfare outcome assessment programme.
• She has served on a number of committees in the animal welfare, farming and academic sectors, including the Farm Animal Welfare Forum, Pig Health and Welfare Council, RUMA and Beak Trimming Action Group.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 November 2022.

97.1% of bathing waters in England have passed water quality standards following testing at over 400 designated sites carried out by the Environment Agency (EA).

The results, released today (30 November), show that for the 2022 bathing season, 72.1% of beaches and inland waters met the ‘Excellent’ standard, the highest since new stringent standards were introduced in 2015. 92.8% of beaches and inland waters gained an ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ rating, while 4% achieved the minimum ‘Sufficient’ rating. This compares with 99% passing the required standards in 2021.

Bathing waters are monitored for sources of pollution known to be a risk to bathers’ health, with up to 20 samples taken from each site during the bathing season. Each sample is tested for bacteria, specifically E coli and intestinal enterococci.

The EA has been monitoring bathing water sites since the 1990s, and in this time there have been significant improvements. In the early 1990s, for example, just 28% of bathing waters met the highest standards in force at that time. Based on today’s data, over 97% of bathing waters meet the minimum standard, with 72% reaching the highest standards. While progress has been made, there is still much more to be done to ensure cleaner and healthier waters for people to enjoy. The Environment Agency is clear that more needs to be done on the part of water companies, and is taking robust action to support businesses, farmers and councils to help clean up our waters.

Since 2015 the EA has required water companies to install Event Duration Monitors at bathing water sites. This captures data on the frequency and duration of storm overflow discharges, with all the data published online so the public can see what is happening in their local area. More than 12,000 of England’s 15,000 storm overflows now have these monitors, and the remaining 3,000 will have them by end of next year.

As part of the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, water companies must improve all storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water by 2035; and improve 75% of overflows discharging to high priority nature sites by 2035. The Government has also committed to consult on policy options in 2023 to review the Bathing Water Regulations and revise guidance to make applying for new bathing water designations easier.

Knowing more about water quality helps people make informed decisions on when and where to swim. The EA’s Swimfo website provides detailed information on each of the 400+ bathing waters in England, and notifies bathers when Pollution Risk Forecasts have been issued.

Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell said:

“Public confidence in our bathing waters is key to the tourism industry as well as people’s health and wellbeing.

“Overall bathing water quality has improved massively over the last decade due to targeted and robust regulation from the Environment Agency and the work carried out by others. In most places it is now better than it has been for many years, but there is much more to be done to ensure cleaner and healthier waters for people to enjoy.

“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.”

Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:

“I welcome the good news that more bathing waters than ever have met the highest standard of excellent at just over 72% of all our bathing waters – an increase from last year – but there is more to be done to improve our bathing waters and we must not rest on our laurels.

“That is why we are going further and faster than any other government to protect and enhance these precious sites.

“We have brought in strict targets to protect our bathing waters and new rules to crack down on water pollution will require water companies to deliver a £56 billion infrastructure improvement programme – the largest in their history.”

This is the first year that the Wolvercote Mill Stream at Port Meadow, Oxford, and the East Cowes Esplanade in the Isle of Wight have been given official classification after being added to the list of bathing waters in 2022.

Designation does not guarantee clean water for swimming. Bringing rivers up to bathing water standards will be a challenge and places greater responsibility on farmers, water companies and communities to remove pollution that is harmful to swimmers.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair on 30 November 2022.

Money from fines handed out to water companies that pollute our rivers and seas will be re-invested in schemes that benefit our natural environment, under new government plans.

Water companies were handed a record amount in fines for pollution incidents last year as part of ongoing action to hold rule-breakers to account.

Since 2015, the Environment Agency has concluded 56 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies, securing fines of over £141m.

At present, money from fines imposed by Ofwat and those arising from Environment Agency prosecutions is returned to the Treasury. Under the new plans, ringfenced funds will go to Defra and will be invested directly back into environmental and water quality improvement projects.

This could include initiatives to restore our water environments by creating wetlands, re-vegetating river banks and reconnecting meanders to the main channel of rivers.

Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:

“The volume of sewage being discharged into our waters is unacceptable, and can cause significant harm to our wildlife and sensitive habitats .

“It is right that water companies are made to pay when they break the rules, but it is also right that this money is then channelled back into improving water quality.

“Water company fines reached a record level last year, and moving forward these plans will significantly increase funding that will be used to recover, protect and enhance our natural environment.

“This is on top of the £56 billion investment we’re requiring water companies to invest in improving our water infrastructure, as well as holding them to account through tough new targets.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt said:

“These fines hold rule-breaking companies to account and mean record investment in our waterways.

“It comes on top of our requirement for water companies to invest in the natural environment – raising the largest ever environmental infrastructure investment of £56 billion over 25 years.”

To crack down on water pollution, government has boosted funding for the Environment Agency, with £2.2 million per year specifically for water company enforcement activity, including at least 4,000 farm visits per year and 500 sewerage inspections.

Where water and sewerage companies are found to be breaking the law, they will face substantial penalties.

This can include the Environment Agency imposing civil sanctions or pursuing criminal prosecutions with the courts, for which there can be unlimited fines, and in some cases prosecution of CEOs and company directors where there is evidence against those individuals and where it is in the public interest to prosecute.

Earlier this year, government announced plans to expand the use of, and raise the cap on, the civil Variable Monetary Payments that the Environment Agency can issue, meaning sanctions can be imposed more often without lengthy and costly court cases.

Ofwat also has the power to issue fines up to 10% of a company’s turnover for the affected business and order companies to take the action necessary to return to compliance where they are in breach.

The EA and Ofwat are currently carrying out the largest criminal and civil investigations into water company sewage discharges ever, at over 2200 treatment works, as a result of increased monitoring.

Earlier this year the government published its Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, which brought in strict targets on sewage pollution and will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in their history to tackle storm sewage discharges – a £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.

Further details on the plans will follow next year.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 29 November 2022.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in the House of Commons on 28 November 2022.

The latest National Drought Group meeting reiterates expectation that water companies start planning now to manage potentially significant impacts next year.

Water companies must start planning now to avoid potentially significant water supply and environmental impacts next summer, National Drought Group members were told yesterday (28 November).

At its latest meeting, chaired by Environment Agency Executive Director John Leyland and joined by Water Minister Rebecca Pow, the National Drought Group discussed how significant risks remain for water supplies and impacted sectors next year, despite an improving water resources situation in some parts of the country.

Recent above average rainfall in October and November has been beneficial in wetting up soils and improving river flows, which is recharging groundwater and refilling reservoirs across the country. As a result, reservoir stocks across England are now around 68% capacity. This has led to some water companies revoking drought permit applications and removing restrictions such as Temporary Use Bans (hosepipe bans).

The Environment Agency also confirmed yesterday that the West Midlands is moving from drought status to recovery, and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire from Prolonged Dry Weather to Normal status, reflecting the improved reservoir and river levels in these areas.

Despite this, the group – made up of senior decision-makers from the Environment Agency, government, water companies and key farming and environmental groups – heard that some reservoirs remain well below the levels we would expect at this time of year:

Colliford Reservoir in Cornwall (24% of capacity)
Roadford Reservoir in Devon (43% of capacity)
Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire (63% of capacity)
Normally at this time of year water resources start to recharge as rainfall increases river flows and refills reservoirs, groundwater and winter storage on farms. The start of the recharge has taken longer this year because soils that need to be re-wetted first have been so dry. This means that above average rainfall is still needed to fully replenish stocks and prevent drought conditions in some areas next year. As a result, many farmers and growers are likely to experience the effects of drought into next year and environmental impacts are expected to continue as ecology and habitats take longer to recover from drought stress.

This July’s heatwave saw many comparing it with the hot, dry summer of 1976, when water supplies were at their lowest on record. One of the reasons for the 1976 drought was that it was preceded by a dry 1975.

If rainfall levels through winter are 80% or less of the long-term average, National Drought Group projections show that currently depleted reservoirs and groundwater aquifers are unlikely to fully recover and farmers would be concerned their water supply storage reservoirs may not fully refill. Large parts of the country would be at risk of drought continuing into next summer – most notably in parts of the South West, South East, East Anglia, Yorkshire and East Midlands. In more severe rainfall scenarios, the projections suggest drought conditions would be widespread, covering most of the country.

EA Executive Director and NDG chair John Leyland said:

“We cannot rely on the weather alone – if we are to avoid a worse drought next year, it will require action by us all. Early and precautionary planning must start now to manage the risks that this would bring.”

“Building on the work of the EA, water companies and NDG members this year – from implementing drought plan measures such as Temporary Use Bans and drought permits to helping customers use less water – we must keep up our preparations for the worst-case scenario.

“Over winter we expect water companies to fix and reduce leaks, identify new sources of water and work with farmers, growers and other sectors to protect our precious water resources should drought remain next year.”

Water companies are responsible for maintaining public water supplies and along with other National Drought Group members, have assessed the effectiveness of their drought plans for 2023. This includes reflecting on this year’s responses to ensure that the plans remain agile and resilient to drought conditions like those experienced this summer. Some of the actions the Environment Agency expects water companies to take over winter are:

Increasing activity to reduce leakage and undertaking winter readiness actions such as contingency planning for freeze-thaw events which cause leaks.
Continuing to identify all possible new sources of water and network improvements to increase water supply whilst limiting environmental risk.
Continuing or enhancing winter communication campaigns with customers to maintain awareness of the drought risk and promote efficient water use.
Exploring collaborative opportunities to support agriculture and other sectors to improve resilience for next summer, for instance maximising opportunities for abstraction and reviewing water needs for 2023.
All sectors have to play a role in supporting the actions needed to avoid significant impacts on water supply and the environment next year, and everyone should use water wisely to continue to reduce water consumption.

Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:

“The recent rainfall will be a relief for many, but we should approach the improving drought situation with cautious optimism.

“I urge water companies to continue to plan their water resources and take precautionary steps to ensure water resilience. This includes emphasising to the public that water shouldn’t be taken for granted. The work of the National Drought Group is crucial in ensuring everyone plays a part in managing our precious water resources both in to next year and in the long term.”

Will Lang, Head of Situational Awareness at the Met Office said:

“Winters in the UK usually include a wide variety of weather, and this winter looks to be no exception. Although we expect to see high pressure dominating our weather through much of the early winter, which increases the potential for cold spells, we could still see wet and windy weather at times.

“The risk of unsettled weather increases as we head into 2023 with wet, windy, and mild spells a real possibility.”

Recent heavy rain and flooding, whilst most of England remains in drought, highlights how climate change is happening now. The country is seeing more extreme weather – in this year alone three named storms in a week, record-breaking temperatures and the joint hottest summer on record leading to a widespread drought. Across the globe, the effects of climate change are becoming clearer, from China experiencing its worst heatwave in decades to devastating floods in Pakistan.

Flooding and drought can occur at the same time, and it is essential to plan and prepare for increasingly extreme events such as these through collaborative forums such as the National Drought Group.

The National Drought Group will meet again in the new year to continue its close working to manage water resources and the impacts of drought.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 29 November 2022.

This week, the UK Government (28 November 2022) is attending the first Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meeting in Uruguay to kickstart negotiations on the new, landmark legally binding treaty that aims to end plastic pollution by 2040.

The first meeting will allow the UK, alongside other United Nations member countries, to assert their initial negotiating position, set the direction of discussions and reinforce the treaty’s overarching objective: to bring an end to plastic pollution globally.

Plastic pollution is one of the greatest environmental threats that we currently face. Current commitments around the world will only reduce the annual discharge of plastic into the ocean by 7% by 2040 according to the Breaking the Plastic Wave report published by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The new treaty would set obligations on countries to reduce pollution across the whole plastics lifecycle, reducing consumption of plastic, re-using plastic products and improving waste management systems.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

The images of marine life trapped in plastic waste remind us why global cooperation to end plastic pollution is so important.

The UK is leading the way with action to cut waste domestically and this week we will join other high ambition countries in Uruguay to help set the foundations of an ambitious treaty to end plastic pollution by 2040.

The UK continues to be at the forefront of tackling global plastic pollution, co-sponsoring the proposal to prepare the new treaty at the UK Environment Assembly in February 2022; leading on a series of dialogue meetings to help inform the UK’s negotiating position for an impactful treaty; and being a founding member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, a group of more than 40 countries calling for a target under the treaty to stop plastic from flowing into our lands and ocean by 2040.

The UK has also taken action at home by banning microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and restricting the supply of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. Our carrier bag charge has reduced the use of single-use carrier bags in the main supermarkets by over 97%.

The introduction of extended producer responsibility for packaging will ensure producers cover the costs of collecting and managing plastic waste, and our plastic packaging tax will incentivise businesses to use recycled plastic in the manufacture of plastic packaging.

United Nations member states have agreed to a schedule of five INC meetings with hopes to finalise the treaty by the end of 2024.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 28 November 2022.

£20 million funding will improve tree planting stocks, woodland resilience, domestic timber production and accelerate tree planting across England.

Projects that tackle some of the greatest threats to our trees and forests will get a boost from government funding, it has been announced today (Monday 28 November). This is alongside additional investment announced for local authority tree planting initiatives which will see hundreds of thousands of trees planted in communities across England.

The funding will drive long-term woodland creation efforts, create jobs, boost biodiversity and support innovative approaches to tree health and resilience, in the face of climate change and the mounting threat of pests and diseases.

Successful applicants include:

the University of Lincoln’s ISILDUR project, which will work with tree nurseries to address labour shortages in the forest nursery sector by developing an intelligent robotics solution for plant processing;
the University of Cambridge’s TIMBER project, which is designing and creating prototypes for new building materials to drive home-grown, low-carbon and long-lasting construction nationwide;
Red Squirrel South West, which will be given funding to develop a management programme for invasive grey squirrels across a 35-mile stretch of native North Exmoor coastal woodland, helping to regenerate woodlands and supporting the reintroduction of native species like red squirrels.
The United Kingdom consumes 53 million tonnes of wood and wood products each year; however, 81% is imported from abroad. The major investment announced today will support projects developing new technologies and working practices to help homegrown timber production meet a greater proportion of domestic demand. This will help to improve timber security and grow the United Kingdom’s forestry and primary wood processing sectors, which support 30,000 jobs and contribute over £2 billion to our economy every year.

Alongside this, 57 local authorities across England have received nearly £10 million in funding through the Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund to kickstart tree planting activity, create new green jobs and boost access to nature, such as by employing new staff to access the professional expertise needed to drive tree planting and woodland creation activity at a local level. Planting will take place across the country in areas with lower tree cover, as well as through ambitious schemes expanding existing woodlands in rural settings. It is expected that more than 100 new green jobs will be created across the country as a result, with an emphasis on upskilling professionals from outside the forestry sector. This will help to expand the industry’s workforce, address skills shortages and help to grow the economy.

Trudy Harrison, Forestry Minister, said:
Our trees, forests and woodlands are the nation’s lungs – filtering our air, capturing carbon, providing habitats and serving as a powerful weapon in the fight against climate change. At a local level, trees are the lifeblood of communities, essential to supporting wellbeing, beautifying our streets and improving people’s quality of life while providing a safe haven for wildlife.

Protecting and restoring our precious natural world can work hand-in-hand with building a stronger, healthier economy. Using new technologies through these funds will build a bigger, better and more resilient forestry industry for the future, as we strive to deliver on our commitment to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.

Sir William Worsley, Chair of the Forestry Commission, said:
These funds will unleash the potential of the forestry sector by championing nurseries, charities and businesses operating at the forefront of technological innovation. They will help more people across society get trees in the ground at an unprecedented pace and scale, whilst ensuring their resilience for future generations.

Through the Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund, local authorities have set out a range of inspiring and ambitious plans which equate to more than 10 million trees being planted on public land across England by 2025. The funding will turn these aspirations into results, marking a significant step forward in our collective efforts to increase tree planting rates in England.

The urgent environmental and economic challenges of the day demand innovative solutions and the projects supported through the innovation funds will underpin our collective efforts to build larger, more diverse and more resilient treescapes across the country, whilst opening up new markets for timber and creating opportunities for growth.

Hannah Bartram, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport, said:
The Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund is set to make a real difference, supporting local authorities to accelerate their tree and woodland planting plans and helping to tackle the climate change and biodiversity crises.

The fund has been well received and demand has been high – it will support local authorities across the country, equipping them with the new staff, skills, and expertise needed to drive tree planting and woodland creation commitments.

Trees make our towns and cities healthier and more pleasant places to be, helping to moderate temperatures, reduce pollution, decrease flood risk and improve quality of life for people from all socio-economic backgrounds.

Also announced today, the Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) and the Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) will reopen for new applications early in 2023, with some significant improvements to the funds based on stakeholder feedback. Now in their third and fifth rounds respectively, the reopening of both funds will see trees planted in rural areas (for LATF), as well as in towns and cities nationwide. It represents another step forward in the Government’s drive to treble tree planting rates across England by the end of this Parliament.

This announcement forms part of wider government action to recover and restore nature, as part of the 25 Year Environment Plan and commitments to reach net zero by 2050.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 25 November 2022.

Plans will benefit protected wildlife sites and create new habitats for nature.

New plans to help safeguard England’s precious protected sites by driving down nutrient pollution and allowing for the construction of sustainable new homes for families across the country were announced by the Government today.

Nutrient pollution is an urgent problem for freshwater habitats and estuaries which provide a home to wetland birds, fish and insects. Increased levels of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus can speed up the growth of certain plants, disrupting natural processes and devastating wildlife. While the government has taken substantial steps to tackle the issue, today’s measure will fast track progress in hotspot areas while unlocking homebuilding across the country.

Due to excess levels of nutrients in certain English water catchments and as result of complex and bureaucratic EU-derived domestic legislation and case law, Local Planning Authorities can only approve a plan or a project if they are certain it will have no negative effect on legally protected sites for nature.

Natural England, in its statutory role as an adviser on the natural environment, has advised a total of 74 Local Planning Authorities on the nutrient impacts of new plans and projects on protected sites where those protected sites are in unfavourable condition due to excess nutrients.

Government plans announced today will see:

• A new legal duty on water companies in England to upgrade wastewater treatment works by 2030 in ‘nutrient neutrality’ areas to the highest achievable technological levels.
• A new Nutrient Mitigation Scheme established by Natural England, helping wildlife and boosting access to nature by investing in projects like new and expanded wetlands and woodlands. This will allow local planning authorities to grant planning permission for new developments in areas with nutrient pollution issues, providing for the development of sustainable new homes and ensuring building can go ahead. Defra and DLUHC will provide funding to pump prime the scheme.

Today’s measures will not only tackle the long-term issue of nutrient pollution by significantly reducing pollution from existing homes in sensitive areas. Developers will be able to purchase ‘nutrient credits’ which will discharge the requirements to provide mitigation.

Natural England will accredit mitigation delivered through the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme, enabling Local Planning Authorities to grant planning permission for developments which have secured the necessary nutrient credits. This will ensure developers have a streamlined way to mitigate nutrient pollution, allowing planned building to continue and creating new habitats across the country.

These plans build on our comprehensive plan to significantly reduce water pollution, including proposed targets under the Environment Act to reduce the key sources of river pollution; a plan for the largest water company infrastructure project ever to reduce discharges from storm overflows; new funding to the Environment Agency to increase farm inspections to at least 4,000 inspections a year by 2023 and new farming schemes that will reward farmers and land managers for environmental actions, such as introducing cover crops and buffering rivers, to reduce run-off.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said:

The plans we have announced today will protect England’s wildlife and precious habitats from the impacts of nutrient pollution, whilst ensuring communities receive the new homes they need.

This is just one part of ongoing Government action to improve water quality across the country, from targets in our world-leading Environment Act to action on storm overflows.

Levelling Up Secretary Greg Clark said:

It is essential that new homes do not impair the quality of our rivers, streams and wetlands. These measures will ensure the development can take place, but only where there is practical action taken to protect our precious aquatic habitats.

Natural England chair Tony Juniper said:

Wetlands and estuaries are home to a wide variety of internationally-important wildlife species, from wading birds to insects and from fish to special plants. Pollution from excess nutrients is causing serious damage to many of these fragile places and if we are to meet our national targets for Nature recovery it is vital that we take concerted, coordinated action to protect them.

The duty on water companies and the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme mark significant steps forward, and will help join up the various approaches to improving water quality and bring about multiple other benefits. They will provide the tools needed to help planning authorities, developers and water and land managers to both build new homes and support the healthy rivers and lakes that are vital for restoring Nature and creating beautiful places for everyone to enjoy.

The new legal duty on water and sewerage companies in England to upgrade certain wastewater plants will be introduced via a Government amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. We want these improvements to be factored in for the purposes of a Habitats Regulation Assessment.

These upgrades will need to be made in a way that tackles the main nutrient(s) causing pollution at protected wildlife sites, for example the addition of metal salts to wastewater, which can be used in combination with wetlands and reedbeds to improve the performance of treatment works.

Where possible, the Government will work with water companies to identify where these upgrades could be accelerated and delivered sooner. Our proposed Environment Act target to tackle wastewater pollution across the country will see upgrades brought in elsewhere in addition to those required by the new duty on companies, on a slightly longer timeframe.

The Nutrient Mitigation Scheme will create new wetlands and woodlands in partnership with green groups and other privately led nutrient mitigation schemes. It follows DLUHC’s initial £100,000 (per catchment) package of support for planning authorities.

This national scheme will support investment in new habitats which will ‘soak up’ or mitigate the impacts of unavoidable nutrient pollution. These new or expanded wildlife habitats will also increase people’s access to nature.

The scheme will be open to all developers, with priority given to smaller builders who are most affected. Developers can also continue to put their own mitigation schemes in place should they choose. Natural England will work with, not crowd out, new and existing private providers and markets for nutrient offsets wherever they exist.

The scheme is due to open in the Autumn. All affected areas can continue to access practical support from the government and Natural England in meeting nutrient neutrality requirements. Natural England will deliver the scheme by establishing an ‘Accelerator Unit’, with the support of Defra, DLUHC, the Environment Agency and Homes England.

This announcement will support the delivery of the tens of thousands of homes currently in the planning system, by significantly reducing the cost of mitigation requirements. The mitigation scheme will make delivering those requirements much easier for developers.

Update on the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme – November 2022

Natural England has been working closely with Defra and DLUHC, alongside the Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, Homes England, the Planning Advisory Service and Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to develop the scheme across affected catchments in England. The first mitigation projects are currently being negotiated with two partners in the Tees catchment. Investment in feasibility studies in five further catchments is underway to determine the schemes next mitigation sites. Natural England will invite applications from developers for mitigation credits in the Tees before the end of March 2023.

From December 2022, Natural England will approach landowners in a targeted way to invite them to offer their land as potential sites for nutrient mitigation. These sites will start to provide the mitigation needed by LPAs and developers, and we will expand across the country to facilitate building thousands of new homes as well as making a major contribution to nature recovery through the creation of new wetlands.

Credits from the government backed scheme will be offered in batches which any developers requiring credits can apply for. Where demand for credits exceeds supply, applications will be prioritised to minimise nutrient neutrality related delays to development, to enable development of the most homes most quickly, to facilitate small and medium enterprises, and to support the delivery of affordable and social housing. Information for developers on credit availability and price will be released ahead of the first credit sales.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 25 November 2022.

The UK has reached an agreement with Norway to secure increased opportunities for the UK fishing industry in 2023.

The UK fishing industry will benefit from increased fishing opportunities worth nearly £5 million in 2023 after reaching an agreement with Norway to secure access to key fishing stocks for UK vessels, Defra has announced today.

The deal secures quota of valuable North Sea whitefish stocks worth nearly £3 million and in arctic stocks worth nearly £2 million for 2023, and also ensures UK vessels have access to Norwegian waters to fish their own demersal and pelagic quota.

The UK and Norway negotiate annually on access to each other’s waters, quota exchanges and control and enforcement measures.

This deal builds on the close relationship and cooperation between the UK and Norway and will continue to support a sustainable and economically viable fishing industry by:

• extending arrangements agreed last year on mutual access, with the UK fishing industry having access to 30,000 tonnes of whitefish stocks such as cod, haddock and hake in the North Sea.
• granting access to fish up to 20,000 tonnes each of herring in our respective waters.
• securing over 1,100 tonnes of quota transfers from Norway of key UK stocks.
• providing 750 tonnes of cod quota for the UK to fish in Norway’s arctic waters.

Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer said:

Under the Fisheries Act 2020, the UK is able to negotiate deals that support a profitable and sustainable UK fishing industry, while safeguarding our marine environment for future generations.

I’m delighted to reach a deal with Norway for 2023 which gives UK fishing vessels access to key fish stocks and quota in the North Sea and Arctic, and look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with Norway and other coastal States to manage fishing sustainably.

The agreement highlights both parties’ continued commitment to manage fisheries sustainably and support the long-term viability of stocks in the North Sea. It sits alongside a separate arrangement the UK has with Norway under which we expect over 5,200 tonnes of additional arctic opportunities to be transferred to the UK in 2023. In total, this should provide the UK fleet with over 6000 tonnes of fishing opportunities in arctic waters.

Throughout the negotiations, the UK Government worked closely with the devolved administrations to ensure that all fishing communities across the UK will benefit from the agreement.