The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that over £100m in water company fines and penalties collected since October 2023 will be reinvested into local environmental projects to improve water quality. The announcement comes as part of the government's broader water sector reform agenda, which includes an independent review of the regulatory system led by Sir Jon Cunliffe. Under this initiative, water companies that breach their environmental permits by releasing excessive pollution or committing illegal sewage spills, will face criminal prosecution, with detailed project funding information to be provided at a later date. Defra reports that 81 criminal investigations have been launched into water companies under the current administration. This investment is a key component of the government’s ‘Plan for Change’, which also includes increased enforcement, a record investment in infrastructure improvements and a generational review of the sector.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced a two-year investment package of £2.65bn to build, maintain, and repair flood defences. This funding aims to protect over 66,000 properties, with 52,000 properties set to benefit from new defences by March 2026 and 14,500 from the maintenance of existing ones. The investment will support up to 1,000 flood defence projects, with £140m prioritised for 31 projects that are ready for delivery. Additionally, £36m has been allocated for urgent repairs to defences damaged by last winter's flooding, and £72m for asset maintenance and repair in the coming year. Defra also intends to launch a consultation on updating the funding formula for flood defence allocation.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that 40 projects are set to receive £25m funding for natural flood management. The funding intends to increase the nation’s flood resilience through natural processes, including tree planting and creating wetlands. The successful applicants who are set to receive the government funding have been listed online and can be viewed following the source link below.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced the first tranche of species to receive funding under the expanded Species Recovery Programme, implementing the £90m investment in threatened species recovery across England, comprising of £60m over three years for the programme and a further £30m for the national forest estate under the ‘Wild Again: Restoring England’s Wildlife’ campaign. The funding, which more than doubles previous levels, will support recovery projects addressing long-term declines driven by habitat loss, reduced food availability and environmental degradation, with delivery led by organisations including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the National Trust and other conservation bodies. The turtle dove, whose population has declined by around 99% since the 1960s due to the loss of seed-rich habitats, will be supported through a project led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in partnership with conservation bodies to restore food sources; the diamond-backed spider, now confined to a single site following presumed extinction, will benefit from measures to secure and expand its population; and the red-billed chough will be supported through ongoing reintroduction and habitat management work in Kent. The Eurasian oystercatcher, affected by habitat degradation and reduced shellfish availability, will be targeted through efforts to improve breeding success, while the glutinous snail, extinct in England and sensitive to water quality, will be reintroduced through a zoo-led conservation partnership, as part of wider action to restore biodiversity and support ecosystem recovery.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has approved an emergency authorisiation for using neonicotinoid pesticide on the 2024 sugar beet crop in England, if an independent model predicts virus incidence of 65% or above. Defra noted that this is the highest level at which the threshold has ever been set. Further conditions that are imposed include restrictions on the crops which farmers can plant in following years in fields where treated seed has been used, compliance with the stewardship scheme to correctly treat and use seed and to monitor the amount of neonicotinoids in the environment.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has requested comments on a draft risk management evaluation for chlorpyrifos, a chemical substance proposed as a persistent organic pollutant (POP). POPs pose a risk to human health and the environment, as they accumulate in living organisms. As a party to the UN’s Stockholm Convention on POPs, the UK is participating in the Stockholm Convention’s POPs Review Committee request for comments on the draft risk management evaluation. Defra is seeking comments until 3 May 2024.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced plans to halve sewage pollution from water companies by 2030, supported by a £104bn infrastructure investment programme to upgrade sewerage systems and build new treatment facilities. This package of measures sets specific targets, including a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by the end of December 2029, measured against a 2024 baseline average of 32 spills per overflow, and a 50% reduction in phosphorus levels in treated wastewater by the end of January 2028.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has concluded its request for information (RFI) on two chemical substances proposed as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to the UN's Stockholm Convention’s POP Review Committee (POPRC). Defra received a total of ten responses: five concerning polyhalogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PXDD/Fs), which have been incorporated into the UK's Annex E submission to POPRC, and five related to medium chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs), which will inform the UK's position before the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (SC COP-12), scheduled for April or May 2025.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published its response to the 2024 consultation on an alternative transitional registration model (ATRm) for UK REACH, confirming a streamlined approach to transitional registration for chemical substances in Great Britain. Defra decided to reduce the amount of information required upfront for substances already registered under EU REACH, on the basis that they are well understood, while retaining the 'no data, no market' principle, requiring hazard conclusions, maintaining proposals on chemical safety assessments, chemical safety reports and substance groups for data sharing, and introducing powers for regulators to request further information through transitional evaluations where necessary. The government also confirmed a policy of using decisions from trusted jurisdictions, particularly the EU, as the starting point for UK REACH decisions to improve efficiency, reduce trade friction and maintain protections. It decided not to introduce additional Great Britain-specific requirements on use and exposure, reflecting consultation feedback that these would impose disproportionate costs and practical burdens, particularly due to supply chain complexities and reliance on consultants, while responses more broadly supported reducing duplication in hazard data but raised concerns about data access, intellectual property and implementation. Wider reform proposals on restrictions, reporting and animal testing will be taken forward separately, with feedback indicating support for reducing administrative burdens and increasing use of alternatives to animal testing, alongside concerns about shortened consultation timelines and the need for clearer guidance.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in conjunction with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Northern Ireland), has published the response to its October 2024 consultation on proposed amendments to Annex A of the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). Following the receipt of 39 responses, the UK government and devolved administrations have updated Annex A, with the changes taking immediate effect. Key amendments include extending the Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) publication deadlines, implementing technical changes to planned FMPs, broadening the scope of the Periwinkle Northern Ireland FMP to cover other hand-gathered shellfish, adjusting authorities responsible for FMP preparation, and renaming certain FMPs for consistency. Under the Fisheries Act 2020, fisheries policy authorities must report on the implementation of policies in the JFS and how these policies have achieved or contributed to the achievement of the eight fisheries objectives three years after the JFS’ publication. This report is scheduled for publication in November 2025.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has concluded its consultation on environmental compensatory measures reforms for offshore wind developments, receiving 74 responses. The government will proceed to draft secondary legislation implementing the reforms and publish associated guidance. The reforms aim to provide clearer requirements for environmental compensation when offshore wind developments cause unavoidable damage to marine protected areas, introducing a more flexible approach that broadens the range of available compensation measures.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the outcomes of its December 2023 consultation and call for evidence on reforming the producer responsibility system for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Defra has summarised stakeholder feedback and outlined its immediate plans to amend the current Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013, SI 2013/3113 (WEEE 2013), to address unfairness in the distribution of producer responsibility costs. These amendments include creating a new category for vapes and requiring online marketplaces to contribute to WEEE costs in line with existing producer obligations. The accompanying call for evidence collected input on reforms to support a circular economy approach. The government will continue reviewing the other proposals and publish its response to wider reforms in 2025.