Defra

DEFRA, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for environmental protection and policy, as well as agriculture, food production, and rural affairs in England, and it works with the devolved administrations on cross-border issues. The department is led by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and supported by other ministers, with the permanent secretary as the senior civil servant.

DEFRA was established in 2001 as part of a government reorganization to bring together environmental, farming, and rural policy functions that had previously been spread across several departments, notably the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The aim was to improve policy coherence on issues such as climate change, water resources, and rural development.

DEFRA sets and coordinates policy on environmental protection, biodiversity, climate change, air and water quality, waste management, and resource use. It also develops policies for farming, food production, animal health and welfare, plant health, fisheries and rural economy, and agricultural subsidies and incentives in England. The department administers funding and oversight through a number of public bodies and agencies, including the Environment Agency, and Rural Payments Agency, and works with agencies responsible for plant and animal health.

Many policy areas are devolved, so DEFRA works with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive on cross-border issues and ensures policy coherence where possible.

It is overseen by the Secretary of State and other ministers and governed by a Permanent Secretary who leads the civil service within the department. It reports to Parliament and operates within the framework of UK-wide and devolved policymaking.