Bob Earll       Once upon a time this type of document would have been launched with huge fanfare, but in a Government mired in Brexit it has popped out almost as an afterthought. It is has been written with the Brexit mantras much in evidence ‘taking back control’ etc.   It is astonishingly brief – thin on words … 6 pages. Lots of the usual things are missing – 25 year plan, natural capital, Sustainable development, ‘leaving the environment in better state than it found it’, etc. The set of Defra’s ‘principles’ bear no resemblance to any that the UK has signed up to in many international agreements. A collector’s piece for policy geeks.

Defra ‘A strategy for the whole of Defra that sets out a shared vision, set of strategic objectives and goals Our vision The Defra group is here to make our air purer, our water cleaner, our land greener and our food more sustainable. Our mission is to restore and enhance the environment for the next generation, and to leave the environment in a better state. This matters because enhancing nature and green spaces enhances lives. Our wellbeing, our physical and mental health, our love of place and landscape, and our intrinsic need for beauty, awe and wonder, are all intimately bound up with a thriving natural environment. A healthy and resilient natural world underpins economic prosperity. Investing in species and habitats is an investment in a sustainable economy. Environmental services and technologies drive economic growth and are part of a modern economy. We know better than ever before that economic growth should not come at the cost of environmental degradation.’ Click here to read it.