Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Latest News • Commons Appearances • Legislation • Petitions • Select Committee • Publications • Written Questions

We are the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people’s day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

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Secretary of State

George Eustice
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Ministers of State

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State

Victoria Prentis - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Lord Gardiner of Kimble - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

NAO Department Guides: Departmental Overview: Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Feb 2019) A Short Guide to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Oct 2017)

Latest News (from Department Twitter Feed)

19 Jan 2021, 6:27 p.m.: Minister for Flooding @pow_rebecca today chaired a COBR meeting to prepare for the risk of significant flooding across parts of northern, central and eastern England. Sign up to flood warnings and check the latest safety advice here: https://t.co/wTjK2N3EYr - Link
19 Jan 2021, 3:39 p.m.: We must protect and improve ocean health and resilience to address the twin challenges of #ClimateChange and biodiversity loss. Our Minister @pow_rebecca highlights our vision for UK seas at today’s Coastal Futures event. Read more: https://t.co/p7TCcRtHFz #CoastalFutures21 https://t.co/S0DgDZ77rq - Link

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:

Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category

Date	Type	Title
Nov. 26	Oral Questions	Oral Answers to Questions
May. 22	Urgent Questions	Transport Emissions: Urban Areas
Dec. 08	Written Statements	Avian Influenza: Housing Measures for Kept Birds
Jan. 13	Westminster Hall	Rivers: Discharges
Jan. 19	Adjournment Debate	Animal Charities: Covid-19

View All Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Commons Contibutions

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - Bills and Acts in the Current Session

Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Act 2020

Tabled: 9th January 2020

Government Bill - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

To make provision for the incorporation of the Direct Payments Regulation into domestic law; for enabling an increase in the total maximum amount of direct payments under that Regulation; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on Thursday 30th January 2020 and was enacted into law.

Act of Parliament - Explanatory Note - Bill Debates - Official Page

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - Laid Secondary Legislation

Dates	Department	Title	Type
Laid 15 Jan 2021 In Force 8 Feb 2021	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Countryside Stewardship (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation	Made negative procedure
These Regulations, which apply to England only, are made pursuant to section 98 of the Environment Act 1995.
Laid 5 Jan 2021 In Force 1 Jan 2021	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Organic Production (Organic Indications) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation	Made affirmative procedure
These Regulations are made in exercise of the powers conferred by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (c. 16) in order to address failures of retained EU law to operate effectively and other deficiencies (in particular under section 8(2)(a) and (g) of that Act) arising from the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

View All Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secondary Legislation

Petitions addressed by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Current Signatures	Title	Petition Deadline
247,048 Petition Closed	Ban the use of all non-recyclable and unsustainable food packaging Gov Responded - 18 Jun 2019 Debated on - 24 Jun 2019	5 Jun 2019 closed 1 year, 7 months ago
Today the Earth is at a crisis point due to our plastic consumption, and as a result, people in the UK are more willing than ever to engage in recycling. Yet so much food packaging remains completely, frustratingly unrecyclable. Let's aim for the UK to lead the world with a 100% recycling rate.
186,226 Petition Closed	Reject calls to add Staffordshire Bull Terriers to the Dangerous Dogs Act Gov Responded - 5 Jul 2018 Debated on - 16 Jul 2018	22 Dec 2018 closed 2 years ago
PETA, an organisation that is meant to be dedicated to protecting animals, has proposed to the UK government that it should add Staffordshire Bull Terriers to the dangerous dogs act, effectively banning them outright. Breed Specific Legislation is not the solution to the problem of dog attacks.
148,248 Petition Closed	Ban the sale of puppies by pet shops & all commercial 3rd party dealers. Gov Responded - 20 Mar 2018 Debated on - 21 May 2018	1 Sep 2018 closed 2 years, 4 months ago
Removing puppies for sale from litter & mum often creates sick, traumatised, dysfunctional dogs. Puppies should be seen with their mum & transporting them to a different place for sale harms welfare. Regulating commercial 3rd party sales is ineffective to prevent harm & a ban is therefore necessary.

View All Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Petitions

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee Home Page

Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries, and the Select Committee will occasionally publish formal reports of their findings.

Open Inquiries

Flooding Agriculture Bill: Trade Standards Labour in the food supply chain The work of DEFRA COVID-19 and food supply Fisheries Negotiations Air Quality Public Sector Procurement of Food Tree Planting and Woodlands Pet Smuggling Environmental Land Management and the agricultural transition Work of the Environment Agency

Closed Inquiries

Government support to the dairy sector during the COVID-19 pandemic UK-Norway Framework Fisheries Agreement Common Framework on Food and Feed Safety and Hygiene Agriculture Bill Agriculture, achieving net-zero emissions Proposed merger of Asda and Sainsbury’s Brand Britain: Promoting and Marketing British food and drink Coastal flooding and adaptation to climate change Countryside and Environmental Stewardship schemes General licences for controlling wild birds Is Defra ready for Brexit? Labour constraints The new farming programme Peatland Plastic food and drink packaging Puppy smuggling Rural broadband and digital only services Scrutiny of the draft Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill Scrutiny of the Fisheries Bill Draft National Policy Statement for Water Resources Infrastructure The work of Defra Work of the Food Standards Agency Beef prices Environment Bill

Recent Select Committee Publications

Fri 29 Jan 2021 - Call for Evidence
Fri 15 Jan 2021 - 12 January 2021
Wed 13 Jan 2021 - LFS0055 - Labour in the food supply chain
Wed 13 Jan 2021 - Correspondence from Gillian Keegan MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills, Department for Education, regarding the Union Learning Fund, 17 December 2020
Tue 22 Dec 2020 - Formal Minutes 2019 - 21

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Publications

Most Recent Publications

Date	Title	Type
Jan. 19	New financial support for the UK’s fishing businesses that export to the EU	News and Communications
Jan. 19	Environmental permitting: air dispersion modelling reports	Guidance and Regulation
Jan. 19	Animal welfare	Guidance and Regulation

View All Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Publications

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Written Questions

Written Questions are submitted by Members of Parliament and the House of Lords to receive information or updates from a Department.

Departments are required to respond in a timely fashion and provide a response or requested information. Written Questions can compel detailed and specific information to be produced, and are frequently used as the source of news stories about the work of a Department.

Latest Written Question

Date	Title	Questioner
19 Jan 2021, 5:32 p.m.	Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)	Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial viability of wildlife trusts and nature reserves. Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) My department constantly keeps under review the financial health of Defra-related sectors, including in relation to how sectors are faring in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Environmental charities and their partners are able to apply to the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, with the first successful applicants announced in December. The Government has committed a further £40m to the Green Recovery Challenge Fund in 2021/22, and my department will be announcing further details of a second round in the coming weeks. Environmental charities have also been able to benefit from wider government financial support for businesses during Covid-19, including the Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended to the end of April 2021.

View All Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Written Question