17 Sep 2018

NAO Report Summary 1.  In March 2019, the UK is set to leave the EU. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is one of the government departments most affected by EU Exit. 2.  Defra’s portfolio is very varied, covering the chemical and agri-food industries as well as crucial policy areas such as agriculture, fisheries and the […]

21 Aug 2018

Summary of consultees and government response August 2018 Between 5 and 26 April 2018 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) held an informal consultation on the types and sizes of nationally significant water resources infrastructure in the Planning Act 2008 (‘the Planning Act’). The consultation can be found at: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/water/npsinfrastructure-types-and-sizes.The consultation was […]

14 Aug 2018

Protests on hen harrier persecution move to wider questions of upland management –  Enlightened upstream management contrasts with the degradation caused by burning heather for grouse shooting Bob Earll ‘We are in the media silly season when Parliament is in recess and all sorts of news stories hit the headlines. So it is no surprise that […]

14 Aug 2018

Water sector regulators call on water companies to do more on resilience Defra, the Environment Agency, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and Ofwat have sent a joint letter to the water companies calling on them to do more work on building resilience in water resources management in England. The regulators say that “ambitious and co-ordinated leadership” across […]

13 Aug 2018

Now we have the measurements we need effective management action After decades of Government indifference we now are seeing some concerted action. The old adage, ‘you can’t manage what you can’t measure’, is starting to be addressed. Now the issue is implementing effective management measures. Litter strategy for England: progress reports This report sets out […]

01 Aug 2018

This Commons Library Briefing Paper examines water quality in the UK, including EU requirements and potential impacts of Brexit. It sets out some key facts and figures for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, explains how water quality is measured and discusses action being taken by the Government to manage and improve water quality. Water […]

30 Jul 2018

Defra: ‘Report to Parliament about inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) conduct and operation Closes 4 Sep 2018   Opened 24 Jul 2018 Contact ifca-consultation@defra.gsi.gov.uk  Overview   We are asking for evidence on how well IFCAs have worked to meet their duties in the last 4 years (September 2014 to September 2018). Why We Are Consulting We are seeking […]