The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has issued a press release, detailing that the Minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy, and the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency (EA), Philip Duff, convened a meeting to discuss plans to bolster the flood responses of the EA, emergency services, and local authorities. This follows the recent flooding in England.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency (EA) have published templates for the sampling and inspection plans (SIPs) required under the extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging scheme. Four templates are available—two for reprocessors and two for exporters—covering both mandatory registration and optional accreditation applications. UK organisations that reprocess or export waste packaging must use these templates to set out how they determine the quantities of packaging waste received for recycling or exported for recycling overseas, describe their sampling and inspection procedures, and outline their record-keeping practices to demonstrate compliance with registration conditions and waste reporting obligations.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency (EA) have published new environmental permitting guidance for groundwater activities in England, while Defra has updated the existing guidance to apply solely to Wales. Both documents outline how legislation relating to groundwater activities should be interpreted in their respective territories. The guidance covers both permitted activities and unlawful actions, such as deliberate or accidental groundwater pollution. The framework forms part of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 guidance series and should be read in conjunction with the environmental permitting core guidance.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency have announced a new civil penalties framework for water companies, following a consultation that closed on 3 December 2025. Enabled by the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, the framework introduces variable monetary penalties (VMPs) proved to the civil standard of proof, capped at £500,000, and automatic penalties (APs) of £10,000 for very large organisations—doubling to £20,000 if unpaid within 28 days. Penalty values vary by turnover banding, with very large organisations defined as those with annual turnover of £250 million or more. AP triggers include: (1) failure to report significant pollution incidents within four hours; (2) failure to maintain event duration monitoring (EDM) devices at 90% operational uptime per calendar year; (3) failure to report EDM data monthly; (4) more than three emergency discharges from an emergency overflow in a year and (5) failure to return abstraction data within 28 days of request. Defra confirmed it will bring forward secondary legislation to implement the changes subject to Parliamentary approval. Modelling indicates the changes could cost the water sector between £50 million and £67 million annually, with water companies prohibited from passing penalties onto customer bills.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Environment Agency have announced a £2.65bn two-year investment programme for flood defence infrastructure. The programme encompasses over 1,000 flood schemes, with £430m allocated for construction and £220m for defence reinstatement for 2025. The government has prioritised £140m to complete 29 schemes facing cost pressures. Major projects receiving funding include: the Derby Flood Risk Management Scheme (£34.6m), North Portsea Island Coastal Flood scheme (£13.8m), and Preston and South Ribble scheme (£10.4m). The investment aims to protect communities and businesses from flooding impacts while supporting local economic growth.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) have jointly published guidance on whether environmental impact assessment (EIA) requirements apply to planned activities. The requirements may apply to activities carried on or controlled by a UK individual, business or organisation, or from a British vessel, aircraft, marine structure or floating container controlled from any of these. Activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction that may have more than a minor or transitory effect on the marine environment, or where the effects are unknown or poorly understood, must be screened to determine whether an EIA is required. Where screening indicates the activity may cause substantial pollution or significant harmful changes to the marine environment, an EIA must be carried out. Activities within national jurisdiction that may cause substantial pollution or significant harmful changes to the marine environment in areas beyond national jurisdiction are subject to EIA and transparency requirements under the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, which may require sharing information with the BBNJ Clearing-House Mechanism. EIA requirements for activities in Antarctic waters remain governed by the Antarctic Act 1994 (AA 1994).

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission have announced an increase in England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) payments in an effort to incentivise farmers and land managers across the country to plant trees. The government has targets to increase tree canopy and woodland cover in England as part of the overarching net zero by 2050 goal. The current maximum rate per hectare available from additional contributions will increase from £8,000 to £11,600, with an increase to £12,700 in stackable payments if the land is also eligible for the new Low Sensitivity Land Payment. New key measures in the recent package also include a payment to encourage EWCO applications on low sensitivity land, a nature recovery premium payment option for the planting of highly biodiverse woodlands next to ancient woodlands, uplifts to additional contributions for riparian buffers, flood mitigation and access, and an increase in annual maintenance payments.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have published a three-year control plan for pesticide residue testing in Great Britain for 2026–2028. The legally required programme specifies 36 different foods for sampling and includes a mandatory list of pesticides to be monitored. HSE will implement the programme as the competent authority on behalf of government administrations across England, Scotland and Wales. The plan includes mandatory testing requirements for both plant and animal products, with specific provisions for infant foods and organic products. Northern Ireland will follow separate European Union controls under regulation 2025/854. The plan replaces the existing programme which expires at the end of 2025.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), have announced proposals for a new Nature Restoration Fund as part of the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. This follows the publication of a planning reform working paper on development and nature recovery in December 2024. The Fund would enable developers to meet environmental obligations more efficiently by pooling their contributions to fund larger, strategic nature interventions. This approach is designed to reduce the burden of individual site-level assessments and mitigation measures. A delivery body, such as Natural England, would be responsible for implementing these interventions, focusing on actions needed to drive protected site and species recovery at a strategic level.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Natural England have published the 2025 Heather and Grass Management Code, providing guidance on the safe and responsible management of rough vegetation. The Code applies to England and supports land management activities such as periodic burning or cutting on grasslands, peatlands, heathlands and other rough vegetation. It sets out best practice to balance land management objectives with the protection of sensitive habitats and species, the conservation of valued landscapes and soil carbon stores, and the maintenance of public safety and amenity. Defra has also released guidance on wildfire management plans, which must accompany licence applications to burn heather or grass on peat deeper than 30 cm in less favoured areas. The guidance comprises a template plan and supporting information.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Natural England have launched a consultation on a draft Environmental Delivery Plan (EDP) addressing nutrient pollution affecting the Norfolk: Broads Special Area of Conservation (SAC) (Yare and Bure), Broadland Ramsar and River Wensum SAC. The draft EDP is intended to protect and enhance the designated sites while enabling sustainable development. The consultation seeks views on the approach and supporting evidence, the proposed conservation actions and opportunities to enhance the plan. The consultation closes on 27 October 2026.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Natural England have jointly published guidance on the preparation and review of management plans for Protected Landscapes in England. These landscapes include National Parks, the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads and designated National Landscapes. Management plans are prepared, published, and reviewed by one of the following bodies: (1) the National Park Authority; (2) the Broads Authority; (3) the National Landscape Conservation Board; or (4) a National Landscape Partnership acting on behalf of local authorities with land in the National Landscape. Plans must be published within two to three years of a landscape’s designation, depending on the landscape type, and reviewed every five years.