Leaving the European Union has given us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to review how we make and shape Great Britain's regulatory framework for food and drink. The current 400-page rulebook for wine is overly complex and bureaucratic. It blocks innovation in the wine sector, including banning practices that could help us reduce carbon emissions, increases production costs and reduces consumer choice.
We want to make changes that ensure England and Wales continue to have a...More
Climate change is one of the greatest global challenges and action is urgently needed. In 2019 we became the first major economy to set a legally binding target to achieve net zero by 2050. In 2021 the UK government published its Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener , becoming the first major economy to set a legally binding target to achieve net zero by 2050.
The environmental impacts of biodegradable waste entering landfill are well known. In the absence of oxygen (below...More
The Animals and Animal Products Reg of 2015 (AAPR) is due a Post Implementation Review (PIR). This stage of the legislative lifecycle is mandatory after a set amount of time and provides an opportunity to review whether the legislation has met and continues to meet it's intended objectives, with opinions being sought from users and stakeholders.
The AAPR is a legislative tool which enables the sampling of products of animal origin (POAO) to test for residues of prohibited substances,...More
We are seeking your views on a small number of proposed changes to the Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Regulations for England and Wales.
The amendments are being proposed in a draft Statutory Instrument (SI) which is available to view as part of this consultation. The purpose of the SI is to clarify four regulations where volumes of PCBs are referred to. The first regulation relates to a requirement to remove pieces of equipment containing PCBs by the end of 2025, the second relates...More
A new Master Outline Planning Application is being prepared for the world-leading Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) site off Woodham Lane, New Haw. This represents a significant Government investment and will safeguard and enhance the UK’s main facility protecting animal health and welfare. Over 1,000 people work at APHA’s site in New Haw which underpins our economy with billions of pounds of trade, whilst protecting public health and the welfare of animals. The Science...More
This consultation sets out proposals to update the regulations for batch testing and batch releasing of imported veterinary medicines. The Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR) were amended after EU Exit to reflect the UK’s independence from the EU. We now wish to improve the regulations (as they apply in Great Britain) and seek your views on the proposals. Changes will then form part of the wider changes to the VMR (see the separate consultation here , which closed on 31 March...More
The Surrey Hills AONB boundary has not been reviewed since its original designation in 1958 and there have been repeated calls by local campaigners to reconsider the boundary. Some areas of countryside outside but adjacent to the AONB boundary are designated as Areas of Great Landscape Value (AGLV) by local authorities in recognition of their value at a county level. Following a series of landscape evaluation studies and a formal request by the Surrey Hills AONB Board, Natural England has now...More