Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Defra has developed a Pesticide Load Indicator which combines data on quantities used with data on the properties of each pesticide. The indicator illustrates trends in the potential pressure on the environment arising from the use of pesticides. The metrics for bees indicate a very substantial reduction in load in recent years, due in large part to the end of widespread use of three neonicotinoid pesticides which carry risks to bee populations.

The National Honey Monitoring Scheme supports estimates of honeybee exposure to pesticides. Defra also contributes funding for the Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, which tracks changes in numbers across the UK.

Defra will continue to monitor trends in these metrics and other data to ensure that risks from pesticides to bees, including the risks of any pesticides given emergency authorisation, are being kept to acceptable levels.

In 2021 the Government worked with the Devolved Administrations, Marine Management Organisation, Joint Nature and Conversation Committee and academia, to submit a suite of evidence to support the UK’s application for a comparability finding in respect of the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The MMPA Import Provisions require that harvesting nations maintain a regulatory programme to address the intentional and incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals in their export fisheries that is comparable in effectiveness to the U.S. regulatory programme. In August 2025, having reviewed this this evidence, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States found the United Kingdom’s regulatory programme to be comparable to the US, meaning trade in fisheries products can continue as before.

Statutory guidance requires companies to balance their support for low-income households against the interests of other customers.

In their business plans for the period between 2025–2030, some companies have committed to shareholder contributions to financial support schemes such as social tariffs and matched debt repayments.

The projected number of customers on social tariffs between 2025-2030 has already been factored into price controls; any additional increase will not affect bill levels for other customers.

The new guidance makes clear that risks to people, animals and the environment, including risks to pollinators, will be taken fully into account. No pesticide will be granted an emergency authorisation unless the benefits outweigh those risks.

The legislation governing emergency authorisations for pesticides requires that each application is assessed against strict criteria. As each application is considered on its own merits and on the basis of the relevant evidence, it is not appropriate to set a target for the number of emergency authorisations.

Defra recognises many people in this country have concerns about the use of snares.

Free-running snares are currently legal in England and are regulated by law. They must be checked at least once a day and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits the setting of any type of snare in places where they are likely to catch certain non-target animals. Anyone using snares also has a responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to ensure their activities do not cause wild animals or pets any unnecessary suffering.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation and this included a commitment to bring an end to the use of snare traps in England. Defra is considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

In 2023 there were 17 reports of marine mammal bycatch, six incidents of which resulted in injury or death. In 2024 there were 12 incidents reported, and none resulted in injury or death.

All water companies have committed to carrying out a charging trial by 2030. Ofwat has set good practice principles for the charging trials, which all companies must follow.

In designing their trials, companies are required to consult with the Consumer Council for Water to ensure that safeguards are in place to protect vulnerable consumers or exclude them from trials where appropriate. This means that customers who may be struggling to pay their water bills are protected whilst the trials are carried out.

The Secretary of State has not had discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs or their Brazilian counterpart. Preparations for the CITES Conference of Parties are led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. The Government 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 in the coming months.

The Government is committed to ensuring a high level of protection for human health and the environment. Public drinking water compliance with the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 has been consistently high for a number of years, with a rate of 99.97% in 2024. This compares to compliance rates of between 98-98.5% in the early 1990s.

The DWI’s annual report on the quality of publicly supplied drinking water provides water companies, and also the public, with a picture of overall drinking water quality in England.

The sampling frequency for drinking water is set out in Schedule 3 of The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 including which parameters are sampled at which point in the system, with some variation depending on factors such as treatment chemicals used, population served, etc.

There is also a requirement to monitor for anything else which may present a risk to health. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) ensures that these requirements are met by companies, and may on occasion increase the sampling frequency if a specific risk is under investigation.

The DWI published a report on 26 February 2025 recommending revisions to some parameters listed in the drinking water regulations. The report is the output of work by an advisory group of specialists both UK and internationally. Defra and the DWI will work together to consider potential regulatory updates to England’s drinking water quality legislation based on the recommendations.

The scheme administrator, UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd. (UK DMO), is responsible for ensuring there is a comprehensive network of return points so that consumers can easily return their containers, including in rural areas.

Other types of organisations that sell in-scope drinks containers – including hospitality venues, food-to-go stores, schools, hospitals, gyms, sports centres and community centres – although not mandated to host a return point, can apply to operate one voluntarily. This has been popular in other international DRSs as organisations see the benefit of increased footfall.

UK DMO will undertake regular reviews of the return point network to consider the number, location and accessibility of return points.

The Government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector.

Defra has not made any recent changes to alcohol labelling regulations within its remit.

The GB Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (GBCBs) acting through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) have carried out the latest quinquennial review of species afforded legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA). JNCC submitted the resultant advice to the previous government.

We continue to consider the evidence for making legislative change to protect our endangered species. This includes consideration of the proposals submitted by the JNCC in their advice to amend the lists of species afforded protection by the WCA, to include the grey and harbour seal.

The two large gull species frequently seen in urban areas are the lesser black-backed gull and herring gull. There is a long term decline in the breeding population of both, which is most acute in coastal, rural areas. At the same time as this decline, and notwithstanding that populations of these birds in towns and cities are problematic to estimate, urban populations may have increased in recent years.

Defra has not made a recent assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of urban gull populations on public health and safety. All wild birds in England, including gulls, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The law allows for certain exemptions to this protection, such as to preserve public health and safety.

In 2025/26 the Ribble Catchment around Edisford Bridge was identified as a priority area for farm inspections due to a new bathing water designation. Since April this year 13 farms in the area of the new bathing water and Bashall Brook have been inspected and advice and guidance provided where non-compliance relating to the Farming Rules for Water and SSAFO Regulations (Storing silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil - GOV.UK ) has been identified.

In the wider Ribble Catchment in Lancashire, the Environment Agency has inspected 27 farms since April this year. Where advice and guidance has been given and not followed, the Environment Agency will consider enforcement in line with its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

All bats, including their breeding sites and resting places, are protected under UK and international law. This strict legal protection makes it an offence to deliberately capture, injure, or kill bats; to damage or destroy a breeding or resting place; or to obstruct access to a resting or sheltering place.

Guidance on what steps to take if you find bats in your home can be found at Bats: protection and licences - GOV.UK. Natural England are currently reviewing their existing guidance around bats to ensure it is up-to-date, accessible and easy to navigate - supporting both homeowners and bats.

In June this Government announced that fines and penalties levied against water companies for environmental breaches, will be reinvested into future local environmental projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. These could include local environmental programmes to address pollution and improve water quality. Further details about the projects and programmes to be funded will be confirmed in due course.

£109 million in fines and penalties has been applied against water companies since October 2023. This includes the £104.5 million fine issued by Ofwat to Thames Water for breaches of rules relating to the company’s wastewater operations.

In June this Government announced that fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into future local environmental projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. Further details about the projects and programmes to be funded by these water company fines onwards will be announced in due course.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government has not made a recent national assessment on the potential impact of urban littering and waste management on the behaviour of gull populations. The effective management of litter and waste are matters for local authorities in the areas in which they occur.

All wild birds in England, including gulls, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and only in exceptional cases does the law allow for certain exemptions to this protection, such as to preserve public health and safety.

Under the Water (Special Measures) Act, the Government has given Ofwat new powers to block unjustified payments.

The Government will not tolerate any company attempting to circumvent the ban on executive bonuses for poorly performing companies by introducing mechanisms such as salary increases or payments through parent companies. Ofwat’s definition of performance-related pay is clear; any payment, consideration or other benefit provided as a result of meeting targets and performance standards. Government is clear that it is important for water companies to be guided by the letter and spirit of this definition.

Ofwat has been asked to assess the legality of these arrangements: should Ofwat find any rule breaches, companies will face enforcement action which can include financial penalties.

Whilst Ofwat is closely monitoring the effectiveness of its rules on executive remuneration, the onus remains on companies to fully comply with both the rules and the intent behind them; namely, that executive pay should reflect company performance. The Secretary of State has written to all water companies reiterating the firm expectation companies are fully transparent over the entire remuneration package for executives.

The Secretary of State has been clear that customer money must be ringfenced and used solely to improve services and protect the environment. Ofwat has confirmed that infrastructure investment funds cannot be diverted to bonuses, dividends, or salary uplifts. These safeguards are part of a wider reform agenda to restore public confidence in the sector.

Under the Water (Special Measures) Act, the Government has given Ofwat new powers to block unjustified payments.

The Government will not tolerate any company attempting to circumvent the ban on executive bonuses for poorly performing companies by introducing mechanisms such as salary increases or payments through parent companies. Ofwat’s definition of performance-related pay is clear; any payment, consideration or other benefit provided as a result of meeting targets and performance standards. Government is clear that it is important for water companies to be guided by the letter and spirit of this definition.

Ofwat has been asked to assess the legality of these arrangements: should Ofwat find any rule breaches, companies will face enforcement action which can include financial penalties.

Whilst Ofwat is closely monitoring the effectiveness of its rules on executive remuneration, the onus remains on companies to fully comply with both the rules and the intent behind them; namely, that executive pay should reflect company performance. The Secretary of State has written to all water companies reiterating the firm expectation companies are fully transparent over the entire remuneration package for executives.

The Secretary of State has been clear that customer money must be ringfenced and used solely to improve services and protect the environment. Ofwat has confirmed that infrastructure investment funds cannot be diverted to bonuses, dividends, or salary uplifts. These safeguards are part of a wider reform agenda to restore public confidence in the sector.

Under the Water (Special Measures) Act, the Government has given Ofwat new powers to block unjustified payments.

The Government will not tolerate any company attempting to circumvent the ban on executive bonuses for poorly performing companies by introducing mechanisms such as salary increases or payments through parent companies. Ofwat’s definition of performance-related pay is clear; any payment, consideration or other benefit provided as a result of meeting targets and performance standards. Government is clear that it is important for water companies to be guided by the letter and spirit of this definition.

Ofwat has been asked to assess the legality of these arrangements: should Ofwat find any rule breaches, companies will face enforcement action which can include financial penalties.

Whilst Ofwat is closely monitoring the effectiveness of its rules on executive remuneration, the onus remains on companies to fully comply with both the rules and the intent behind them; namely, that executive pay should reflect company performance. The Secretary of State has written to all water companies reiterating the firm expectation companies are fully transparent over the entire remuneration package for executives.

The Secretary of State has been clear that customer money must be ringfenced and used solely to improve services and protect the environment. Ofwat has confirmed that infrastructure investment funds cannot be diverted to bonuses, dividends, or salary uplifts. These safeguards are part of a wider reform agenda to restore public confidence in the sector.

No formal assessment has been made but the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) recently published its annual report for 2024-25 here. A copy is attached to this answer.

Since 2020, the JUWC has worked with over 130 partner organisations and led or attended over 300 multi-agency days of action resulting in over 170 associated arrests. In recent years, the JUWC has made significant progress aligning its approach to other criminal justice agencies to target organised crime groups. The work of the JUWC has received cross government support and the model is respected internationally.

We have increased the Environment Agency’s (EA) total budget for 2025-26, including the amount available to tackle waste crime. This will enable the EA to increase its frontline criminal enforcement resource in the JUWC and area environmental crime teams by 43 full time staff. This resource will be targeted at activities identified as waste crime priorities using enforcement activity data and criminal intelligence.

Ofwat has not conducted a specific bill impact assessment for homes with gardens for companies trialling this method of charging.

South West Water estimated that 55% of household customers would save on its seasonal saver tariff and 95% of customers would save on its summer peak tariff; South West Water has designed the trial to be revenue neutral within the trial groups. Anglian Water has estimated that 2 out of every 3 customers would be no worse off or marginally better off under its seasonal tariffs, compared with its standard charge.

At PR24 Ofwat challenged companies to address customer concerns about the affordability of water bills in the 2025-2030 period and asked them to set out the measures that they would take and how they would fund these measures.

As an independent charity, the Canal and River Trust is responsible for operational matters on its waterways and land owned by it, including litter management.

Under section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Trust has a duty to keep the land it is responsible for clear of litter and refuse. It is for the Trust to work out how best to comply with the duty, considering the standards set out in statutory Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. The Trust also has a responsibility to remove litter and fly-tipping in its canals where it would interfere with navigation.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK.

In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK.

Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK.

In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK.

Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK.

In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK.

Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.

The Government has no plans to mandate the introduction of rising block tariffs for water bills.

Several water companies are currently trialling rising block tariffs. Through these trials the sector will learn how to best support customers, including families, with their water bills. Companies must consult with the Consumer Council for Water to protect or exclude vulnerable customers, which ensures customers are protected.

As the trials progress, we will continue to engage with companies and customer advocates on emerging outcomes.

The Government has no plans to mandate the introduction of rising block tariffs for water bills.

Several water companies are currently trialling rising block tariffs. Through these trials the sector will learn how to best support customers, including families, with their water bills. Companies must consult with the Consumer Council for Water to protect or exclude vulnerable customers, which ensures customers are protected.

As the trials progress, we will continue to engage with companies and customer advocates on emerging outcomes.

The Government is committed to ensuring that noise is managed effectively to promote good health and minimise disruption to people’s quality of life.

Section 60 of the Control of Pollution Act allows Local Authorities to address noise from construction sites, including roadworks, by serving a notice imposing requirements as to how the construction may be carried out. This notice may specify a range of conditions, including hours during which the work can be carried out, and the level of noise that may be emitted during specific hours. While there the law does not specify permitted hours for works, weekend work involving noise is commonly restricted to the hours between 8am and 1pm on a Saturday, although there may be circumstances where a Local Authority deems the work to be of sufficient priority for work to be carried out outside of these hours.

In all cases, Local Authorities are required under the Control of Pollution Act to ensure best practicable means are employed to minimise noise and protect people in the locality from the effects of noise. The law is designed to enable decisions to be made while taking into account the specifics of a local context.

Flood Resilience Measures include Natural Flood Management, Property Flood Resilience (PFR), and Sustainable Drainage Systems. These can be effective at reducing the impacts of flooding but are always considered against a range of flood risk management options.

The National Flood Risk Assessment identifies 196 properties at high or medium risk from fluvial flooding within this constituency. The Environment Agency are undertaking a new 'Initial Assessment' for Buckingham which will look at flood risk data and create a high-level evaluation of potential mitigation measures.

A further 2629 properties are identified at high or medium risk from surface water flooding. Surface water flood management is the responsibility of the Lead Local Flood Authority. The FCRM Investment Programme includes the following projects to reduce risk from surface water:

• Leckhampsted Natural Flood Management
• Tingewick Flood Alleviation Scheme
• Buckingham Natural Flood Management
• Buckingham Property Flood Resilience Study

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts, and related compounds are already banned in the UK under the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation 2019/1021, as amended. That legislation prohibits the manufacturing, placing on the market and use of POPs, including PFOA.

The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 requires lead local flood authorities – which include unitary authorities – to develop, maintain, apply and monitor a strategy for local flood risk management in its area.

Local authorities receive revenue funding to deliver local services, including local flood risk management, through the Local Government Finance Settlement. For 2025-26 this makes available over £69 billion, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024-2025.

Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are responsible for delivering housing allocations included within their Local Plans, including relevant infrastructure to support growth.

Surrey Heath District Council produced a Water Cycle Study (WCS) in March 2025, to provide an evidence base to show the environmental constraints from their proposed housing allocations. This study, reviewed by the Environment Agency, highlighted additional capacity is likely required at two sites across Surrey Heath, Lightwater STW and Camberley STW, to support additional housing without causing deterioration to water quality.

This matter has been raised by the Environment Agency as a 'point of soundness' for further consideration by the LPA, within their emerging Surrey Heath Local Plan, and is due to be heard at the Surrey Heath Local Plan examination which begins on 16 September.

Information from the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) surveillance network indicates one botulism outbreak in GB in 2025, affecting 712 cattle between August up to 8 September. The cases have been spread across Derbyshire, Essex, Northants, Pembrokeshire and Shropshire. This incident is currently being investigated by the FSA who have taken precautionary action to protect animal and public health, including the removal of an animal feed product from the market and the prevention of animals showing signs of botulism from entering the food chain.

When large scale or serious incidents are reported, Defra and APHA take a One Health response and work collaboratively cross-agency to manage any threats.

The Environment Agency’s flood risk management teams continue to work with partners, providing advice, support and guidance to flood groups and communities in the key flood risk areas in Surrey Heath. This includes Chobham, Pirbright and Normandy. Environment Agency representatives attend biannual flood forum meetings with those communities, providing ongoing support and guidance on flood resilience within the borough.

Residents in communities at risk of flooding from rivers can also sign up to the Environment Agency's free Get Flood Warnings service, which sends alerts by phone, text, or email.

Water companies’ delivery of infrastructure and improved water demand management to secure our water supplies is a top priority and will be supported by our reforms of the sector.

Defra work with regulators to closely monitor delivery through annual reviews of how companies against their targets. If they are not meeting their targets, they will receive a joint regulators letter setting out what they are failing on and when they must rectify these issues.

We have established a ministerial Water Delivery Taskforce to monitor and intervene in projects that are essential for growth.

This will also work alongside the regulators to hold the water companies to account to deliver their PR24 plans and scrutinising the costs of major projects in PR24.

The Environment Agency’s flood risk management teams maintain a close working relationship with Surrey County Council, including sitting on the Surrey Flood Risk Partnership Board where they help to shape local flood risk strategies and work with other risk management authorities, including Surrey Heath, to agree priorities that help make local communities more resilient to flooding.

The Environment Agency’s local Flood Resilience Team also works with Surrey Prepared, a subgroup of the Surrey Local Resilience Forum that looks at flood resilience across the wider county. Further information is available on their website - Welcome to Surrey Prepared - Surrey County Council.

The UK Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy domestically, and support this transition globally, to deliver growth, green jobs, and promote efficient and productive use of resources including in the textiles sector. The UK is modernising its approach to international development, moving from an aid donor to an investor. We want to partner with countries like Ghana to create economic growth and trading opportunities for both our countries.

The UK and Ghana share a long-standing mutual relationship built on trust, openness and partnership, and this is something we will continue to strengthen together.

While the department does not currently have any specific plans to support and co-finance textile recycling and waste infrastructure in Ghana, the UK Jobs and Economic Transformation (JET) programme has mobilised over £125 million in investment across key sectors like garments, automotive, and pharmaceuticals, creating 5,000+ jobs and enabling exports of textiles across Africa and to the UK. Through the JET programme, the UK is supporting Ghana to deliver a Textiles and Garment Policy. The draft policy is currently under public consultation before submission to the Ghanaian cabinet. The policy includes prescriptions for regulatory and other policy incentives to encourage private investment into recycling plants or other investment in support of a circular economy. This aims to enhance public-private partnerships.

The UK Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy domestically, and support this transition globally, to deliver growth, green jobs, and promote efficient and productive use of resources including in the textiles sector. The UK is modernising its approach to international development, moving from an aid donor to an investor. We want to partner with countries like Ghana to create economic growth and trading opportunities for both our countries.

The UK and Ghana share a long-standing mutual relationship built on trust, openness and partnership, and this is something we will continue to strengthen together.

While the department does not currently have any specific plans to support and co-finance textile recycling and waste infrastructure in Ghana, the UK Jobs and Economic Transformation (JET) programme has mobilised over £125 million in investment across key sectors like garments, automotive, and pharmaceuticals, creating 5,000+ jobs and enabling exports of textiles across Africa and to the UK. Through the JET programme, the UK is supporting Ghana to deliver a Textiles and Garment Policy. The draft policy is currently under public consultation before submission to the Ghanaian cabinet. The policy includes prescriptions for regulatory and other policy incentives to encourage private investment into recycling plants or other investment in support of a circular economy. This aims to enhance public-private partnerships.

The total cost of the Autosort for Circular Textiles Innovation Demonstrator was £4,128,228, with nearly £1.5 million of funding provided by industry and private investors.

One of the project’s aims was to ensure that the processed material was retained through domestic reprocessing. UK Fashion and Textile served as the lead partner, with supporting the UK textile manufacturing sector as one of their key objectives.

In addition, Innovate UK provided robust monitoring throughout the project to ensure it remained within its original scope, which we can confirm it did.

Although the funding phase has concluded, we continue to support this project and its partners to generate economic value that can be retained within the UK.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. The Government 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 in the coming autumn. The Circular Economy Taskforce will initially focus on six sectors that have the greatest potential to grow the economy: textiles; agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; and transport. The Circular Economy Taskforce will assess what interventions may be needed across the textiles sector.