30 Apr 2026
Image description: White sheep on green pastures near a lake, taken in Loughross, County Donegal, Ireland. Photo by Brian Kelly on Unsplash Regulations falling short despite farmer efforts Despite positive investment and efforts from farmers, key regulations designed to reduce agricultural pollution have failed to deliver meaningful improvements to water quality in Northern Ireland, […]
05 Mar 2026
Image description: Corby Bridge, also known as Wetheral Viaduct, which carries the Newcastle–Carlisle railway. Photo by Ian Cylkowski on Unsplash The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) review on the implementation of laws for terrestrial and freshwater protected sites in England has now received an official response from the UK Government. The government’s key commitments The government welcomed the OEP’s […]
15 Jan 2026
Image description: A red squirrel clinging on to a tree trunk. Image by Pearse O’Halloran on Unsplash A report from the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has concluded the government is not on track to meet its targets to save wildlife in England and is failing on almost all environmental measures. The OEP found […]
13 Jan 2026
Photo by Jack B The UK Government remains largely off track to meet its environmental ambitions and legal obligations, with progress slowing compared to the previous year, according to the Office for Environmental Protection’s latest annual progress report published on 16 January. The OEP concludes that whilst there have been some areas of improvement, very substantial […]
18 Dec 2025
Image description: aerial view of Photo by Patrick Federi on Unsplash The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has identified significant failures in how the government and regulators oversee untreated sewage discharges, warning that current practices may not comply with environmental law. In a series of reports published following an extensive investigation, the watchdog concluded […]
31 Jul 2025
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) is to conclude its investigation into the regulation of combined sewer overflows after securing significant progress in tackling the issues it has raised. Through its investigation the OEP found that there have been failures to comply with environmental law by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), […]
21 Jan 2025
Progress towards improving the environment has slowed with government still largely off track in achieving its legal environmental commitments, the latest annual assessment by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found. The OEP report provides an assessment of progress towards legally-binding environment targets, commitments and goals. The report covers the period 1 April 2023 […]
14 Jan 2025
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) have launched an investigation into Defra in relation to a suspected failure to take the necessary measures to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status (GES) of marine waters by the statutory deadline. Under the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010, the statutory deadline for GES to be achieved was 31 December […]
