Edie Newsroom: The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) looks set to enter a “five-year period of scrutiny” after MPs this week raised concerns over the Department’s ability to deliver on key flood protection, air pollution and animal welfare strategies with a special report.

Defra – which operates on a £2bn budget – will be scrutinised on its ability to deliver initiatives that cover air quality, rural proofing, flooding and animal welfare. The Government’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee issued a special report on Tuesday (8 March) questioning whether the Government’s planned 15% cut to Defra’s budget would impact operational efficiency. In response to Defra’s new five-year plan – which aims to “unleash the economic potential of food and farming, nature and the countryside, champion the environment and provide security against floods, animal and plant diseases and other hazards” – Efra will be monitoring any achievements and shortcomings over the five-year period. The Efra report states: “Defra faces the challenge of delivering vital services with a reducing budget for its day-to-day activities in the coming four years. This challenge is not new: our predecessor Committee expressed its concerns about a hollowed-out Defra’s ability to ensure its wide-ranging set of delivery bodies could deliver effective services. “We share these concerns which indeed are amplified by Defra’s need to further reduce budgets. To be re-assured, we need evidence that Defra can provide firm leadership, a clear and well communicated strategy, and robust relationships with its disparate set of delivery bodies. ”Defra – which operates on a £2bn budget – will now be scrutinised on its ability to deliver initiatives that cover air quality, rural proofing, flooding and animal welfare.