The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), has published a policy paper detailing the process for implementing 'not for EU' labelling requirements under The Marking of Retail Goods Regulations 2025. The paper outlines how the Secretary of State will monitor supply chain disruption risks, engage with businesses and issue notices requiring specific products to be labelled before those products are placed on the market for sale to consumers in Great Britain. The policy includes exemptions for small businesses, qualifying Northern Ireland goods and medical foods, with reviews scheduled every five years. Implementation notices will be limited to twice yearly except in exceptional circumstances.

Environment analysis: On 8 April 2025, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) launched a consultation on proposed reforms to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. The reforms aim to streamline regulation, allowing the two lead regulators, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales to define exempt activities that do not require environmental permits and establish which conditions operators must comply with. The goal is to increase decision speed, reduce administrative costs, and enhance responsiveness to business needs, which is beneficial for businesses and developers alike. The consultation runs until 3 June 2025, inviting feedback from businesses, organisations, and individuals on the proposed changes. Written by Nick Harding, senior associate & Camilla Kristensen, trainee solicitor at BCLP.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has updated the 'The UK fresh produce sector: review of the supply chain' consultation to include a summary of responses and government response. The consultation sought views on how the UK fresh produce industry currently functions and how to make improvements to support farmers and increase food security.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the 2022 carbon footprint statistics for the UK and England. Between 2021 and 2022, the UK’s and England’s carbon footprints increased by 2%, reaching 740 million tonnes and 178 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), respectively. Emissions from the consumption of UK-produced goods and services decreased by 48% compared to 1996, while those from goods and services produced in England fell by 43% compared to 2001.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published its 2025 biodiversity duty statement, outlining how it has met its statutory biodiversity obligations across England, Scotland and Wales. The policy paper identifies measures to support biodiversity in line with Defra's environmental restoration goals and sets out actions across six key functional areas: policy-making, management of Defra's 330,000-hectare estate, research and evaluation, finance, commercial activities and communications. Actions are categorised as short-term (within two years), long-term (beyond two years) or potential future initiatives. Key commitments include the development of a Defra Group Nature Recovery Plan and the integration of biodiversity considerations into policy-making processes.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the 2025 register of compliance schemes under the Producer Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/1332. The register lists the third-party compliance schemes that have registered with the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. These schemes help producers meet their extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging obligations by: (1) registering producers with the appropriate environmental regulator; (2) reporting packaging data; and (3) meeting recycling obligations for large producers.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the lists of reprocessors and exporters registered and accredited under the extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging scheme for 2026. The lists include operators registered by the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, but exclude those registered by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Defra has indicated that these lists will be replaced by a Public Register, once available, which will cover operators registered with regulators from all four nations.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published its 30by30 on land delivery plan, setting out how the government intends to meet the UK’s commitment to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030. The plan introduces a gold, silver and bronze framework for assessing whether land can contribute towards the target. Government analysis indicates that approximately 32% of England’s land either meets or has the potential to meet the 30by30 criteria. Nearly £40 million has also been allocated to support National Parks and National Landscapes. The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) welcomed the plan but stated that the measures do not provide change at the scale and pace required. It called on the government to establish a clearer and quantified pathway to the 2030 target and warned that legally binding biodiversity targets for 2030 and 2042 are likely to be missed on current trajectories.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published various updates relating to biodiversity net gain guidance. Defra has now updated the guidance ‘Understanding biodiversity net gain’ to clarify that unless exempt, developers in England must provide 10% BNG on habitats within the redline boundary of their development, whether or not they are impacted, and that separate arrangements apply to on-site irreplaceable habitats. In addition to this, Defra has published new guidance on how BNG applies to irreplaceable habitats and has added this to its collection of BNG resources in the ‘developers’ section.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a list of catchment areas sensitive for phosphorus or nitrogen. Water companies must ensure wastewater treatment works meet specified nutrient removal standard by 1 April 2030. Competent authorities must consider that the nutrient pollution standard for Habitats Regulations Assessments will be met by the upgrade date when considering proposals for draining developments.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) annual progress report for 2023 to 2024. This report outlines the progress made within this period towards the goals detailed in the 2023 EIP.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) annual progress report for 2024–25, covering the period from April 2024 to March 2025. The report details advancements across ten environmental goals, including a £2.65bn investment in flood schemes, the implementation of mandatory biodiversity net gain for small sites and the enactment of the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025. Key achievements include the declaration of four new National Nature Reserves and the protection of 27,000 properties from flooding. This publication also marks the final report under the current EIP framework. A revised plan (EIP25) is scheduled for publication later in 2025 and will include delivery details outlining how Defra will meet its Environment Act targets.