Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water companies are responsible for researching and selecting the best value water supply options to sustainably secure water supplies for their customers. Government and regulators require water companies to consider desalination alongside all other water supply and demand management options to meet future water needs, which could amount to an additional 5 billion litres per day by 2055. The latest water company Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs) contain proposals for 9 new desalination plants.

A list of significant water resources infrastructure projects that water companies propose in their WRMPs, including the desalination plants, is available on GOV.UK.

This Government has put down the building blocks to clean up England’s rivers, lakes and seas. We are rebuilding the water network to slash pollution levels, backed by a record £104 billion of investment, which includes over £10 billion to reduce sewage discharges from over 2,500 storm overflows in England.

Over 2025-30, Thames Water are expected to deliver a 29% reduction in spills from storm overflows and reduce pollution incidents by 30%. They are also expected to invest £1.2 billion to prevent harmful nutrients polluting rivers.

As part of the Environment Act 2021, a duty has been created for water and sewerage companies in England and Wales, including Thames Water, to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs).

These plans will help sewerage companies to fully assess the capacity of the drainage and wastewater network, develop collaborative solutions to current problems and future issues and bring together key stakeholders including local authorities and industry regulators.

We are introducing root and branch reform so that the water sector works for the British people. Working in partnership with water companies, investors and communities, the Government will introduce a new water reform bill early this Parliament.

The UK Pesticides National Action Plan 2025 relates to plant protection products, and therefore does not cover pet treatments.

Veterinary medicines are regulated under a separate legislative framework to pesticides: the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR) 2013, as amended. These regulations ensure that all veterinary medicines undergo rigorous scientific assessment, including environmental risk assessments, before being authorised for use. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has formed the Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group as a UK cross-government platform to enable discussion and knowledge exchange relating to pharmaceuticals in the environment from human, veterinary and, where there is cross over, agricultural and non-agricultural sources. They have recently set out a roadmap of activities to address the levels of fipronil and imidacloprid detected in UK waterways.

Plastic pollution is a global crisis that no country can solve alone. The UK has played an active role in pushing for an ambitious and effective global plastics treaty.

In June 2025 I met with a range of influential countries in the margins of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice to discuss global action. Over 90 countries, including the UK, endorsed the 'Nice Wake-up Call' calling for an ambitious global treaty to end plastic pollution.

I also attended the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee took place from 5-14 August in Geneva. The UK worked hard to progress negotiations, working closely with our partners to push for effective global measures on plastic products, including ensuring that any alternatives are sustainable. We are disappointed that no agreement was reached.

The Government remains steadfast in our commitment to continue working to secure an effective global treaty on plastic pollution which protects the environment and paves the way to a circular economy.

The Government is supporting innovation through Ofwat’s Innovation Fund, which has doubled in size to £400 million for 2025-2030. Since 2020, it has awarded funding to 109 projects - ranging from trialling artificial intelligence to detect algae in reservoirs, to robots that patrol wastewater pipes to pinpoint cracks.

Ministers and officials have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including charities and NGOs, on many issues related to the water sector including on sewage pollution and water resources.

We have begun rebuilding the water network to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. In one of the largest infrastructure programmes in this country’s history, £104 billion is being invested to upgrade crumbling pipes, sewage treatment works and water resources infrastructure across the country.

Defra works closely with Environment Agency officials at every level and provides constructive challenge and support on Environment Agency’s performance and delivery to protect and enhance the environment and serve the public.

The responsibility for public safety around cliffs and coastlines sits with the Local Authority. Local Authorities can use the most up to date data and information on the coast to assist with their planning and decision making. The new National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Map (NCERM) provides the most up to date national picture of current and future coastal erosion risk for England. The Environment Agency worked with Local Authorities, who supplied local data and verified outputs, to produce this.

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern, as determined under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once there is sufficient clarity on the Parliamentary timetable.

The Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms require the collection of food waste in England from all workplaces from 31^st March 2025, all households by 31^st March 2026 and all micro-firms (with fewer than 10 staff) by 31^st March 2027. These reforms will increase the quality of materials collected for recycling and make the separate collection of food waste mandatory, ensuring that food waste can be treated through composting and anaerobic digestion (AD) – producing biogas (at AD) and significant greenhouse gas savings rather than sending food waste to landfill. Anaerobic digestion plays an important role in creating a circular economy by displacing fossil-fuel based fertilisers with digestate, an organic fertiliser and by-product of the AD process.

In February 2025, Defra and WRAP published the Recycling Infrastructure Capacity Analysis. This provided a forecast of investment opportunities, including the potential to invest in 1.375Mt/pa of anaerobic digestion capacity in England from 2035.

The Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS) run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) provides tariff-support for biomethane produced via anaerobic digestion and injected into the gas grid. The scheme requires 50% of biomethane (by energy content) to be produced from wastes and residues, which is expected to support treatment of increased tonnage of food waste. In February 2024 DESNZ issued a call for evidence (CfE) to assess the barriers to growth in the sector and the options available to address them. DESNZ is considering the responses received and are developing policy options on a future framework that supports growth in the sector while managing environmental risks effectively.

Furthermore, as Defra develops the Circular Economy Strategy for England, and the agrifood roadmap therein, we are considering the evidence for interventions right across the economy. That includes exploring the circularity impacts of a wide range of levers, such as how to manage biowaste and the sustainable use of digestate. The Strategy will be published for consultation in the coming autumn.

No discussions have taken place with stakeholders on legislative changes to increase the number of companies able to donate food surplus.

Defra's Food and Drink Waste Hierarchy outlines how all businesses should deal with food surplus and waste, preventing food surplus where possible and redistributing any surplus should it arise. Following this hierarchy will help businesses to minimise the environmental impact of food and drink waste and maximise the value of food and drink surplus, for example by donating to food banks or soup kitchens.

Defra funds the UK Food and Drink Pact, a voluntary agreement with industry to tackle food waste, managed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Through the Pact, we support the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, which helps businesses to identify and measure their surplus and waste and take steps to reduce it.

This Target Measure Act (TMA) approach enables food businesses to get more surplus to redistributors. Defra also engages a working group of supply chain and redistribution sector organisations to develop best practice and overcome barriers to redistribution.

The Government is immediately taking forward a number of Sir Jon’s recommendations. We will establish a new statutory water ombudsman, end operator self-monitoring and introduce Open Monitoring.

Subject to consultation this autumn, the Government will abolish Ofwat and merge its functions to form a single new regulator, which will include a regional element to ensure greater local involvement in water planning. Until the new regulator is fully established, existing regulators will continue to carry out their functions.

The Government will clarify its expectations through a Strategic Policy Statement and ministerial direction, expected to be published later this year. The full response to Sir Jon’s recommendations will be set out in a White Paper for consultation this autumn and a new water reform bill to be introduced early this Parliament.

The Government will respond to Sir Jon Cunliffe’s recommendations in full via a White Paper, published for consultation this autumn, and a new water reform bill that we will introduce early this Parliament. This Government has confirmed that it will abolish Ofwat and bring water functions from four different regulators into one – a single regulator responsible for the entire water sector. Until the single water regulator is fully established, the existing regulators will continue to carry out their functions and enforcement responsibilities in full.

The Government recognises the importance of England’s peatlands, and in our manifesto, we committed to expanding nature-rich habitats such as wetlands and peat bogs. This will contribute to ensuring nature’s recovery, one of Defra’s five priorities. We have ambitions to restore hundreds of thousands of hectares of peatlands across the country, and we are working to ensure that we have the most effective mechanisms in place to go further than we have before.

Peatland restoration is currently funded via the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme. We will continue to work with partners, farmers and land managers to enable the delivery of peat restoration, supported by agri-environmental schemes that provide long-term funding to support restoration projects. We are providing advice and guidance to enable partners to transition to new funding arrangements.

Defra publishes an annual suite of indicators that assess progress on protecting and improving the water environment. These reports are publicly available at GOV.UK. The latest report has several trend assessments, each one is useful for understanding different parts of the water environment and for understanding trends from different pressures, such as those from the water industry. One of the trend assessments, covering data from 1990 to 2023, shows a generally improving national situation for many pollutants over that time, though some exceptions remain. The Environment Agency and Defra are working hard with many partners to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas and won’t change our focus until reductions in pollution are observed across the board.

Ministers are committed to protecting our nature-rich habitats, including peat bogs and are looking at next steps for measures to end the use of peat in horticulture. We continue to work alongside the horticultural sector to support progress on the peat free transition. This includes support for the Royal Horticultural Society’s peat free transition fellowship amounting to £330,000 over three years.

Under Simpler Recycling, local authorities and other waste collectors are required to collect the following recyclable waste streams from all households and workplaces in England: glass, metal, plastic, paper and card, food waste (and garden waste from households only). These measures apply from 31 March 2025 from workplaces, 31 March 2026 from households and 31 March 2027 from micro-firms (with less than 10 FTEs).

In May 2024, Parliament made the Simpler Recycling Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024 [1] and Government published guidance [2] that included a description of the materials in scope of collection within each of the recyclable waste streams required for collection under Simpler Recycling in England.

During our call for evidence on bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics, concerns were highlighted by the waste and recycling industry over the suitability for recycling biodegradable and compostable plastics. Consequently, the guidance set out that packaging labelled ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable’ cannot be recycled with food waste, nor be collected within the plastic recycling waste stream.

Biodegradable and compostable plastics will also not be included as a separate recyclable waste stream in the amended Environmental Protection Act 1990, and we do not propose to include these materials in any of the other recyclable waste streams. Plastic packaging materials labelled as “compostable”, or “biodegradable” are not generally collected for recycling as these materials can contaminate mechanical recycling streams; therefore, should be placed in the residual waste stream. However, we do recognise the valid role compostable plastics play in some applications and closed-loop contexts (e.g. where they are able to be collected and processed correctly at an industrial composter).

[1] The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024

[2] Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England - GOV.UK

Defra has not carried out a specific assessment of soft plastic recycling schemes offered by supermarkets.

Under Defra’s Simpler Recycling reforms, The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024 require flexible plastics to be collected from kerbside from 31^st March 2027. We are aware of the delivery challenges surrounding the collection of flexible plastics and recognise that stakeholders need more time to address these. This is why the requirement to collect flexible plastics will not come in until 31st March 2027. Ahead of the requirement coming into effect, existing kerbside, front of store and postal take back of plastic films will continue and are expected to increase in response to certainty over the timing of the introduction of this new collection requirement.

To help support these delivery challenges, Defra has also provided financial support for the multi-million-pound FlexCollect project, launched in May 2022, funding Local Authorities to roll out kerbside plastic film collection trials. The FlexCollect final report was published on 1 September 2025. Defra will analyse the results of the trials, alongside wider evidence, to ensure we make the implementation of flexible plastics a success. We will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure issues surrounding end markets and reprocessing are taken into account and addressed in the lead up to the 2027 implementation date.

Defra is continuing to engage with relevant stakeholders to help determine the most appropriate scope of a ban on the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern. Species of conservation concern are listed on the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) according to the level of threat international trade has on their conservation status.

Given the pressures on public finances, Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. It was not affordable to continue Defra funding to Natural England to continue the new National Landscapes designations programme in 25/26. As such, Natural England have made the decision to stop work on some of the planned programme. Other elements of the programme, including the Surrey Hills boundary review and potential new National Landscape in the Yorkshire Wolds, are being maintained and progressed by Natural England as they considered the work was further advanced.

There have been no recent discussions with the Environment Agency (EA) on trends in levels of fly-tipping in the South East and Slough. The EA is a member of the Defra-chaired National Fly-Tipping Group which aims to share best practice on tackling fly-tipping.

Local authorities are required to annually report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions to Defra, which are published each year. These are available at Fly-tipping statistics for England - GOV.UK.

The department has had no recent direct discussions with local authorities in Slough or the Thames Valley region on the implementation of mandatory digital waste tracking. Information is shared with stakeholders including local authorities via our Circular Economy newsletter. Through this newsletter we have invited organisations to sign up to the project’s user panel to get involved in testing of the developing service and provide feedback.

While no recent assessment has been made, we appreciate the difficulty and cost that fly-tipping poses to landowners and we are working with a wide range of interested parties through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, such as the National Farmers Union, to promote and disseminate good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land.

We encourage local authorities to make good use of their enforcement powers which include prosecution. On conviction, a cost order can be made by the court so that a landowner’s costs can be recovered from the perpetrator.

The UK Health Security Agency estimates that in 2018, around 100,000 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) were lost in England due to road traffic noise, across the UK population. DALYs are an internationally recognised metric where one DALY represents the loss of one year of good health. A further 13,000 were lost from railway noise.

We are working together with the devolved Governments to ban wet wipes containing plastic across the UK. For England, we will legislate in Autumn this year.

The Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR) 2013, as amended, ensure that all veterinary medicines undergo rigorous scientific assessment, including environmental risk assessments, before being authorised for use. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has formed the Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group as a UK cross-government platform to enable discussion and knowledge exchange relating to pharmaceuticals in the environment from human, veterinary and, where there is cross over, agricultural and non-agricultural sources. They have recently set out a roadmap of activities to address the levels of fipronil and imidacloprid detected in UK waterways.

The Government has stated its intention to review the definition of irreplaceable habitats in due course, to ensure it remains robust and supports decision making.

The Government has stated its intention to review the definition of irreplaceable habitats in due course, to ensure it remains robust and supports decision making.

The Government has stated its intention to review the definition of irreplaceable habitats in due course, to ensure it remains robust and supports decision making.

This Government has not made an assessment of the risks of using disposable and portable barbecues in public places. Research published under the previous Government considered the risks posed by disposable barbecues. This is available at: Sky Lanterns, Single-Use Barbecues and Helium Balloons - Risks and Mitigation Options - EV04104.

Local authorities already have powers to apply local controls on the use of disposable barbeques on council or public land.

We can confirm that all small businesses and charities are in scope of Simpler Recycling. The Simpler Recycling legislation does not specify the type of vehicles that must be used for collection, provided they comply with existing standards on waste vehicles. Where commercial services are provided by local authorities, they can utilise waste vehicles that serve household collection routes.

Natural England (NE) is dealing with historic weeds complaints but is not currently taking new complaints. This is a temporary measure whilst NE reviews with Defra the approach to addressing injurious weeds, to improve access to appropriate advice and guidance and ensure enforcement resources are targeted most effectively.

Natural England (NE) is dealing with historic weeds complaints but is not currently taking new complaints. This is a temporary measure whilst NE reviews with Defra the approach to addressing injurious weeds, to improve access to appropriate advice and guidance and ensure enforcement resources are targeted most effectively.

Natural England (NE) is dealing with historic weeds complaints but is not currently taking new complaints. This is a temporary measure whilst NE reviews with Defra the approach to addressing injurious weeds, to improve access to appropriate advice and guidance and ensure enforcement resources are targeted most effectively.

We are mindful of the impacts of any changes to Biodiversity Net Gain on all those involved, especially developers and investors. Government remains fully committed to BNG and will work closely with stakeholders to provide policy clarity and certainty.

The Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy. The Circular Economy Taskforce, composed of experts from industry, academia, and civil society, is helping to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish proposals for in due course. The outputs will aim to support economic growth, deliver green jobs, promote efficient and productive use of resources, minimise negative environmental impacts and accelerate to Net Zero.

The strategy will be accompanied by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis. The Circular Economy Taskforce will start with six sectors: agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport.

Defra recognises that repair and reuse are fundamental tenets of any circular economy, and a successful transition aims to eliminate waste and promote sustainability through reuse and resource efficiency. The Circular Economy Taskforce will consider the evidence for appropriate action right across the economy throughout the development of the strategy.

Simpler Recycling requires the following recyclable waste streams from all households and workplaces in England: glass, metal, plastic, paper and card, food waste (and garden waste from households only). These measures will increase the quantity of dry recyclable material collected for sorting at MRFs and will apply from 31^st March 2025 from workplaces, 31 March 2026 from households and 31^st March 2027 from micro-firms (with less than 10 FTEs).

There are existing requirements on material recovery facilities (MRFs) to report the reject rates at each facility in Waste Data Flow question 100 and to undertake composition sampling on material received and report this to the Environment Agency via the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2023.

Defra is working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support Material Recovery Facility (MRF) readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements.

We have engaged with MRF operators and local authorities through WRAP’s MRF Forum to identify challenges with MRF capacity, investment, upgrade timelines, and to work with the sector to identify interventions to support MRFs as they prepare for Simpler Recycling. WRAP is developing interventions to support Local Authorities with setting up new MRF contracts, determine the potential future composition of dry mixed recyclable waste streams and the associated financial implications.

I have instructed my officials to develop further policy options to drive long-term improvement to Local Authority performance, including on potential approaches to improving quality which will support the UK reprocessing sector.

We are exploring setting a long-term target for flood risk management, as recommended by the National Audit Office and the National Infrastructure Commission.

The long-term target for floods would be a multi-decade target. It would set out the level of flood risk and flood resilience the nation wants and can afford. To set a long-term target we would use the best available information from the Environment Agency derived from the new national flood risk assessment.

Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), developed under the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), will be based on the best available scientific evidence to ensure that the overall improvement test is met.

Natural England must also undertake sufficient monitoring once an EDP is in place to assure the effectiveness of conservation measures. Amendments tabled in the name of my Rt Hon friend Baroness Taylor of Stevenage OBE will require that each EDP must include the anticipated sequencing of conservation actions in relation to development, and back-up measures must be deployed if monitoring shows the plan is underperforming.

The Government recognises that EDPs will not be appropriate or necessary for every protected species, and EDPs will be introduced over time as the evidence permits. We expect it to be faster to develop EDPs in areas with well-established and tested strategic solutions, such as District Level Licensing for Great Crested Newts.

Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), developed under the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), will be based on the best available scientific evidence to ensure that the overall improvement test is met.

Natural England must also undertake sufficient monitoring once an EDP is in place to assure the effectiveness of conservation measures. Amendments tabled in the name of my Rt Hon friend Baroness Taylor of Stevenage OBE will require that each EDP must include the anticipated sequencing of conservation actions in relation to development, and back-up measures must be deployed if monitoring shows the plan is underperforming.

The Government recognises that EDPs will not be appropriate or necessary for every protected species, and EDPs will be introduced over time as the evidence permits. We expect it to be faster to develop EDPs in areas with well-established and tested strategic solutions, such as District Level Licensing for Great Crested Newts.

The Government has been working closely with stakeholders to gather feedback and evidence on how BNG is being implemented. Early information suggests BNG implementation is largely working as intended, but there is emerging evidence that some smaller developments and specific types of development are finding BNG more challenging than anticipated. The proposals in the consultation seek feedback on potential changes to make it quicker, cheaper and easier for developers to deliver BNG obligations, while broadly maintaining environmental outcomes.

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern. Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once there is sufficient clarity on the Parliamentary timetable.

The Government will publish an impact assessment alongside its response to the consultation ‘Improving biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development’.

It is important that waste is managed safely in a way which does not pose risks to people or the environment.

Operators of landfill sites in England are required by the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016 to hold an environmental permit. The regulatory framework in place is designed to serve operators and protect the local community.  Where poor performance does occur the Environment Agency has a range of powers to bring sites back into compliance and, where necessary, to take enforcement action against operators.

The Government also recognises the importance of managing land contamination, including from historic landfill sites, to protect human health and the environment. Under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities have a statutory duty to inspect their areas to identify contaminated land and require appropriate remediation where necessary. Defra supports local authorities in fulfilling their duties through the Contaminated Land Statutory Guidance, which sets out the legal framework for risk assessment and decision-making under Part 2A.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy and has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish for consultation later in the year. As we develop the strategy, we will consider the evidence for action right across the economy, and alongside the Circular Economy Taskforce we will assess what interventions may be needed regarding biogas.

The government has already taken steps to support the production of biogas from waste. As part of Simpler Recycling, in England food waste collections are required from all workplaces (except micro-firms), from all households by 31^st March 2026 and from all micro-firms (with less than 10 FTE) from 31^st March 2027. This must always be collected separately from residual waste and dry recyclable materials.

Collecting food waste separately from residual waste allows us to send it for treatment via anaerobic digestion (AD) or composting. This reduces the amount of food waste going to landfill, where it releases harmful greenhouse gases and, helping to achieve our Net Zero strategy target to eliminate biodegradable waste sent to landfill from 2028.

We forecast Simpler Recycling will increase the amount of food waste collected in England for recycling or composting by 100% to 4.8Mt by 2035. This will provide increased feedstock for anaerobic digestion, supporting Government initiatives to support the AD sector.

The Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS) run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) provides tariff-support for biomethane produced via anaerobic digestion and injected into the gas grid. The scheme requires 50% of biomethane (by energy content) to be produced from wastes and residues, which is expected to support treatment of increased tonnage of food waste. In February 2024 DESNZ issued a call for evidence (CfE) to assess the barriers to growth in the sector and the options available to address them. DESNZ is considering the responses received and are developing policy options on a future framework that supports growth in the sector while managing environmental risks effectively.

The Government remains committed to enhancing access to nature and recognises the importance of National Trails as crucial links between urban and rural settings, allowing people to get closer to nature and experience the natural world.

In addition to the continued delivery of the King Charles III England Coast Path and Coast to Coast National Trails, Defra has supported the creation of National Trails UK (NTUK) and provided funding to aid in its establishment. We anticipate that NTUK will improve the long-term management and sustainability of National Trails, improve the capacity for National Trails to engage people currently not accessing nature and test new ideas and ways of working as a family of National Trails.

We are also delivering the £33m ‘Access for All’ programme, which consists of a package of targeted measures in our protected landscapes, national trails, forests and the wider countryside to make access to green and blue spaces more inclusive.