The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published updates to its guidance on irreplaceable habitat. Defra has updated the guidance to clarify how irreplaceable habitat are dealt with under biodiversity net gain, as well as what the minimum required information is that applicants should submit to the local planning authority at the planning application stage.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the written record of the annual fisheries consultations between the UK and EU for 2025. The record outlines the agreed Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for jointly managed fish stocks in 2025, including certain deep-sea stocks for 2025-2026.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published draft regulations titled 'The Environmental Protection (Wet Wipes Containing Plastic) (England) Regulations 2025' to implement a ban on the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic. This follows the government's April 2024 announcement of plans to ban wet wipes containing plastic accross the UK. Defra is accepting comments on the draft regulations until 31 July 2025.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the determination of fishing opportunities for British fishing boats for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. The determination sets out the maximum quantity of sea fish that may be caught by British fishing boats, as well as the maximum number of days that British fishing boats may spend at sea. It also outlines the fishing opportunities for British fishing boats that may be caught in UK, EU, Norwegian, Svalbard, and international waters.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has released a summary of responses and government response after a request for additional information on chlorpyrifos being listed as a persistent organic pollutant (POP) under the UN Stockholm Convention. In order to list chlorpyrifos as a POP under the Stockholm Convention, the UN Review Committee requested information on the socio-economic impacts of a ban or restriction of the substance, to be used to assist with drafting a risk management evaluation. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) responded with information on the authorisation of chlorpyrifos before it was withdrawn from use in the EU in 2020, as well as the impacts of its withdrawal in Northern Ireland. DAERA concluded that the amount of chlorpyrifos left in the UK supply chain is thought to be minimal. The government incorporated this information into the UK’s submission of information to the Stockholm Convention’s POP Review Committee, which will help determine the need for any specific exemptions and acceptable purposes. The substance has been proposed for listing as a POP under the Convention.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has released an update on the government response to its consultation on changes to the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) regulation, which ran from 2 March 2023 to 27 April 2023. The consultation requested comments on proposed changes to the annexes of the retained regulation (EU) 2019/1021 (as amended by the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/1358) and the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2022 (SI 2022/1293), including changes to waste limits and specific exemptions. The government received 51 responses to this consultation and as a result, the publication of the summary of responses and government response will be delayed until later in 2024 to allow for careful consideration of all responses.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has reported that the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Barclay, has appointed Will Quince as an independent advisor to conduct a review into public sector food procurement. Quince’s review will: seek ways to make the procurement process more accessible to small and medium sized businesses and farmers; seek ways to boost animal welfare and environmental standards; look at how the government can further promote high standards for food and catering services; consider opportunities to extend the reach of the existing framework, particularly to education settings; explore how compliance with the Government Buying Standard for food and catering services (GBSF) can be achieved; and explore how institutions can go above and beyond in areas like nutrition or waste prevention.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a report, detailing its performance against the greening government commitments (GGCs). The GGCs comprise actions that government departments and their agencies must undertake to minimise their environmental impact. Comparing data from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024 with the 2017-18 baseline, Defra has made progress in several areas, including an 89% reduction in paper use (target: 50%), a 25% decrease in flight emissions (target: 30%), and an increase in recycling rates to 71% (target: over 70%). However, some challenges remain, with water use increasing by 3% against a target reduction of 8%, and 7% of waste still being sent to landfill (target: less than 5%). Defra aims to achieve all GGC targets by the end of March 2025.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a letter from the Minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy, to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), requesting an assessment of the climate change assumptions that should be incorporated into government planning on climate adaptation. The request follows the CCC's April 2025 progress report on climate adaptation, which recommended improved objectives and targets. The assessment will inform the government's development of stronger objectives for managing climate risks.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published its response to the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP)’s January 2024 report on progress in improving the natural environment in England. It addresses five key recommendations from the OEP's 2023 report, including the need for effective implementation of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 (EIP23), as well as the development of clear governance, detailed delivery plans, interim targets, and effective monitoring frameworks. Notably, in July 2024, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, announced a rapid review of EIP23, which will form part of a wider statutory review and revision of the EIP. The OEP has been requested to provide advice on this review, which, along with the review findings and the OEP's annual reporting, will inform the EIP revision. Defra also provides grouped responses to recommendations, outlining specific actions for each EIP goal area, including plants and wildlife, clean air and water, climate change mitigation and adaptation, biosecurity enhancement, chemical and pesticide exposure management, and waste minimisation, among other areas.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published its response to the review of the Blue Planet Fund (BPF) undertaken by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI). In its response, Defra fully accepted all four of ICAI's recommendations. Defra also agreed with ICAI's view that the BPF demonstrates a significant increase in the UK's contribution to addressing key marine issues and supporting the globally underfunded UN Sustainable Development Goal 14. Defra noted its commitment to improving the coherence, effectiveness and relevance of the BPF programme portfolio and highlighted that it is already taking actions to implement the recommendations, which will help the international priority to eliminate poverty and address climate change and loss of biodiversity.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), as mandated by section 29 of the Environment Act 2021 (EA 2021), has published its response to the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP)’s review of the implementation of the Bathing Water Regulations in England. The OEP’s review comprised recommendations to improve the implementation of the regulations. Defra welcomes these recommendations, noting that many align with proposals outlined in its November 2024 consultation on reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013, SI 2013/1675. It also acknowledges the need to update the regulations to reflect changes in public recreational water use beyond bathing and evolving public expectations of water quality. The government further notes that some recommendations are existing practice, while others fall outside the scope of current proposed reforms but may be considered in future policy development.