Environment & Climate
50mentions · last 12 months↓
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The Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee scrutinises the work of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and related public bodies on environmental protection, food security, rural development and land management. The Committee takes oral evidence from ministers, officials and external witnesses as part of its investigative work. It operates as a permanent select committee with the power to examine policy and hold the executive to account across its remit. Recent inquiries have examined water sector reform following South East Water outages and the resilience of England's water infrastructure. The Committee has also investigated fairness in food supply chains through scrutiny of the Groceries Code Adjudicator and Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator frameworks. Additional focus areas have included the future shape of the veterinary profession, nature recovery and economic growth, and waste management alongside circular economy and land use policy under the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
21 sessions published in the last 12 months
Click any cell in the heatmap to see the sessions held that day and the insights extracted from them.
319 insights
07 Jul 2026
The Secretary of State and senior DEFRA officials were scrutinised on water sector failure, the Thames Water/South East Water situations, and how far the Government would go on special administration, bonuses, and new performance/resilience rules in the forthcoming Clean Water Bill. The session also examined DEFRA’s farming vision, ELMS reform, nature markets, horticulture profitability, supply-chain fairness, fertiliser and CO2 resilience, SPS alignment negotiations with the EU, coastal erosion support, wildfire preparedness, and dangerous dog insurance. Key positions were that the Government is preparing for a Thames Water SAR but has not applied; it wants stronger regulation rather than ad hoc intervention; it does not plan to reduce livestock numbers; it will keep ELMS while gradually growing private finance; and it expects the SPS deal to rely on dynamic alignment with UK influence through “decision-shaping” arrangements.
30 Jun 2026
The Committee scrutinised the Veterinary Medicines Directorate’s role within DEFRA, its reporting relationship with Ministers, and how recent machinery-of-government reviews changed governance and reporting. Witnesses defended VMD’s independence while describing stronger early engagement with DEFRA, but acknowledged ongoing resource pressure, recruitment shortages, and the need to avoid “reporting for reporting’s sake”. Substantively, the session focused on veterinary medicines access in Northern Ireland, vaccine shortages, prescription fraud and counterfeit products, antimicrobial resistance, the veterinary cascade, and environmental risks from flea and tick treatments. The VMD said it is keeping access problems, supply chains and the SPS agreement under close watch, is using communication and stakeholder forums more actively, and is considering whether cost should play a clearer role in cascade decisions in light of the CMA’s veterinary practice reforms.
23 Jun 2026
The Committee scrutinised how England should respond to growing wildfire risk under climate change, with witnesses urging a more integrated, cross-government approach linking fire services, forestry, land management, planning, public warnings and preparedness. Key themes were the need for a consistent wildfire definition, publicly available risk information, a national strategy, and stronger statutory and planning duties. Witnesses also pressed for better evidence on ignition sources and for more practical prevention measures such as restrictions at very high risk levels, signage, land-management zoning, and better resourcing for fire and rescue services. On uplands, the second panel debated peatland rewetting, prescribed burning, cutting, grazing and the role of land managers, with sharp disagreement between Natural England and upland practitioners over the evidence and practicality of burning restrictions.
19 May 2026
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee quizzed Professor Tim Lang, Dr Hannah Brinsden, and Karen Betts on the resilience and fairness of the UK food supply chain, tracing lessons from Covid-19 and the Ukraine crisis. The session highlighted structural vulnerabilities in a highly connected, just-in-time system, with emphasis on energy costs, inflation dynamics, and market concentration. Witnesses urged stronger public planning and governance, including a long-term national food security framework or food Bill, better public engagement, regional diversification, and targeted government support (notably for energy-intensive parts of the food system and for SMEs). They also pressed for a more joined-up government approach (procurement, regulation, and policy alignment) and an institutional mechanism to steward food security as a national priority. The discussion surfaced policy recommendations and signals around: long-term legislative frameworks for food security; a cross-departmental “Food Inflation Gateway”; expanded investment and R&D incentives; regional and SME diversification of supply chains; safeguarding public nutrition in resilience planning; and a shift from purely market-led resilience to a more strategic, public-interest orientation in the food system.
28 Apr 2026
This joint EFRA and Environmental Audit Committee pre-appointment hearing scrutinised Dame Helen Ghosh’s suitability to chair the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP). Key focus areas included the independence of the OEP from government, governance safeguards, and resourcing pressures that affect delivery of environmental priorities. She set out top priorities (nature-friendly farming, protected sites, and integrated infrastructure/planning) and argued for prioritisation given finite resources. The session also explored how the OEP would engage with devolved administrations (Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland), the implications of potential closer EU alignment, accountability to Parliament, and approaches to stakeholder and public engagement. The witness stressed that the OEP must operate as an independent regulator, emphasised the need to join up government policy, and discussed leadership style and culture. The committee raised concerns about recruitment processes, transparency, and the OEP’s ability to deliver under budget constraints, while seeking clarity on legal frameworks (Environment Act) and the role of the OEP in enforcement-adjacent activities.
21 Apr 2026
The EFRA evidence session scrutinised the roles, powers, and resourcing of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) and the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA), alongside industry bodies responsible for fertilisers and food supply. Key points include: the GCA’s funding via a mandatory supermarket levy and a budget increase to £3.5m with nine staff, and its reported 92% perceived retailer compliance in 2026, underpinned by a confidential, collaborative approach with retailers; the use of a backstop investigation and arbitration/civil-litigation routes to secure redress; and ongoing questions about the potential merger with ASCA, with the GCA’s witness arguing that merging would not be straightforward due to differing powers and staffing models. The new DEFRA sponsorship arrangement for the GCA was acknowledged, with intent to maintain an effective relationship with DEFRA. In Panel 2, the witnesses highlighted the Iran conflict’s impact on fertiliser and energy costs, transparency needs, and policy asks: cash-flow support for farmers, urgent clarity on UK CBAM for fertilisers/ammonia, data/databases for fertiliser stocks, and clarity on Russian-owned fertiliser assets in Europe. The AHDB called for market transparency tools; the fertiliser industry stressed long-term resilience, planning, energy costs (including red diesel), planning permission and energy policy, and labour/energy inputs. Overall, the government-facing commitments revolve around maintaining and improving regulatory teeth through the GCA/ASCA framework, clarifying regulatory tools and remedies, and addressing energy/CBAM/data transparency to bolster farm viability and food security amid geopolitical shocks.