DEFRA

UK self-sufficiency must be upheld amidst global instability, NFU says

(Photos: Getty Images/Pexels)

First log burner fine issued: wood burner rules, fuels and regulations

Microchipping is a quick and largely painless procedure, that will last your cat the rest of its life (Photo: Defra/PA Wire)

What cat owners should do if they've missed the microchipping deadline

An Asian hornet stalks a beehive (Photo: MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images)

Asian hornets in UK 'permanently'

The court’s judgement on River Action UK’s landmark case to save the River Wye from agricultural pollution has been released. (Photo: Isabella Boneham / NationalWorld)

Verdict on landmark case to save UK river unveiled

Asian hornets are smaller than native hornets, but deadly to our bees and other pollinators (Photo: Wildlife and Countryside Link/PA Wire)

Killer insects invade UK

A swimmer diving into the water at the mixed bathing ponds in Hampstead Heath, London

Record number of new wild swimming spots

Puffins nest in colonies, on rocky cliff faces (Photo: Ellen Leach/RSPB)

EU challenges UK government's puffin-protecting policy

Up to £11m in water company fines will be reinvested into a local scheme to improve waterways. (Photo: Emily Whitfield-Wicks/PA Wire)

Water firm fines will be reinvested to improve waterways

Fears are mounting that the collapse of Thames Water, the UK's largest water company, will cost taxpayers billions of pounds. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

Collapse of UK water firm could cost taxpayers billions

Thames Water has "complained" after the CEO of charity River Action used the word 's***' in a speech to the "sewage industry". (Photo: Getty Images)

Water firm 'complains' over campaigner using word 's***'

Thames Water is lobbying government to let it increase bills by 40% to avoid a potential multi billion-pound bailout. (Photo: Getty Images)

Water firm seeks to hike bills

Twenty-seven swimming spots are set to be designated official bathing water sites despite water firms dumping "over 400,000 hours of sewage". (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

27 new bathing spots planned - despite 'grim' sewage dumping

The proposed "toaster tax" could make new electrical appliances more expensive to buy, a trade association has warned. (Picture: Adobe Stock)

What is the proposed "toaster tax"?

Protesters from River Action outside the court in Cardiff as they bring a judicial review against the Environment Agency for allowing agricultural run-off to pollute the River Wye

Protest under way to save river

Feargal Sharkey demands 'pathetic' water industry refunds public

River Action is taking the Environment Agency and Defra to court over their inaction to protect the River Wye

Charity takes Environment Agency to court over 'sickening' pollution
River Action is taking the Environment Agency and Defra to court next week for failing to adequately protect the River Wye from "sickening" agricultural pollution
Isabella Boneham

XL Bullies will be banned from Februrary 2024.

XL Bully Ban: Everything you need to know as ban comes into place

The ban is expected to be good news for puffins, who rely on sandeels to survive (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Sandeel fishing to be banned by April

Other American bully variants - like the so-called pocket bully - are still legal (Adobe Stock)

Explainer Will other American bully types be banned - and are they dangerous?

Conservation charities have warned some farmers may now prune hedgerows during nesting season, putting wildlife at risk (NationalWorld/Adobe Stock)

Fear wildlife on farms in danger, as hedgerow protection rules vanish

XL Bullies will be fully banned from 1 February 2024 (Adobe Stock)

Explainer What to do if you see an XL bully owner breaking the new rules

There are just six weeks left for XL bully owners to apply for an exemption to the new ban (Photo: Adobe Stock)

Explainer Is it too late to apply for an exemption for my XL bully?

There are just six weeks left for XL bully owners to apply for an exemption to the new ban (Photo: Adobe Stock)

Thousands of XL bullies handed exemption from breed ban

Robbie Douglas-Miller has been made an environment minister Picture: UK Government website

Concerns over new grouse moor-owning animal welfare minister

Environmental campaigners protesting outside Defra's offices in Central London in response to the State of Nature report (Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire)

Chris Packham leads dozens of nature groups in protest outside Defra HQ

Brucella canis can spread from dogs to humans in rare cases (NationalWorld/Adobe Stock)

Explainer Three people in UK test positive for bacterial disease spreading in dogs

Government accused of illegally allowing sewage spills to ‘occur more often’. (Photo: Getty Images)

Government accused of breaking the law over sewage spills
Ofwat, Defra and the Environment Agency have two months to respond to Information Notices that they have breached environmental laws
Isabella Boneham

Has British farming reached crisis point? Credit: NationalWorld

Is UK farming in crisis? Farmers fear for future after Brexit

Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Therese Coffey has reportedly cancelled Defra's meetings with Greenpeace over the incident (Photo: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

Thérèse Coffey cans Defra's meetings with Greenpeace

The government has been criticised for delaying packaging reforms, which it claims will help drive down inflation (Photo: Ian Lean/SAS/PA Wire)

Government 'letting polluters off the hook' over pollution reform delay

Asian hornets have been spotted near Dover in Kent

Government issues urgent warning after ‘killer’ Asian hornets spotted

The Environmental Audit Committee says it welcomes the government’s tree-planting targets but it is “very unlikely” it will meet them (Image: NationalWorld/Adobe Stock)

Government only meeting half of annual tree-planting target

An invasive Colorado potato beetle has been found in Hampshire (Photo: Fera Science/Supplied)

Britons urged to be on the lookout for invasive potato-eating beetle

The impact of alien species can range from loss of crops and damaged buildings to the loss of livelihoods and ecosystems (Image: NationalWorld/Adobe Stock)

Invasive species costing UK economy £4 billion each year

Two people have been infected with bird flu in England after coming into contact with infected birds on a poultry farm. (Credit: Getty Images)

Bird flu detected in two poultry workers in England, confirms UKHSA

The government is proposing a ban on plastic wet wipes in England (Photo: Shutterstock)

Wet wipe brands that don’t contain plastic as ban in England proposed

The Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance said dog thefts were 'devastating' for owners. Image: NationalWorld/Adobe Stock/Mark Hall

Exclusive The scale of dog theft crime in the UK - and how it's going unpunished

Wood-burning stove laws for households and fines for breaking rules

Bird flu confirmed in commercial poultry farm in north Norfolk

Iceland freezes prices of Christmas turkeys as rivals hike costs

An investigation has been launched into a suspected outbreak of foot and mouth disease on a Norfolk pig farm. (Credit: Getty Images)

Suspected outbreak of foot and mouth disease on Norfolk farm

Vegetable pickers work to harvest courgettes at Southern England Farms Ltd in Hayle in south-west England (Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

National Food Strategy: UK government white paper proposals

It is unknown how long the legal bird housing measures will last for (image: Shutterstock)

Bird flu UK 2022: Defra ‘bird lockdown’ explained

Helen Macdonald, the owner of Geronimo, has been fighting to save the alpaca since 2017 (Photo: Hollie Adams/Ben Birchall/Aaron Chown/PA)

Why was Geronimo the alpaca killed, and did he have bovine TB?

Newham in London had the highest level of air pollution in England in 2019, with a PM2.5 concentration of 13, 95.6% of which was manmade.

These are the 10 UK areas with the worst air quality

More than 100 councils have air dirtier than a 'safe' level set by WHO

Interactive map reveals UK places with dangerous pollution levels

There is no recent, reliable data on the number of people following vegetarian or vegan diets in the UK.

Meat and dairy-based diets ‘must fall by 20% in next decade’ for climate goals

The measures were made per 10,000 of the population.

The 10 UK towns and cities with the worst air pollution