The priority for air quality has been to address exceedances in nitrogen dioxide legal limits, due primarily to emissions of nitrogen oxides from road traffic. These emissions have been decreasing since 2010 but more remains to be done and the UK has ambitious targets in place to reduce...More
On 24 May 2018 Natural England notified additional land as part of the Poole Harbour as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), recognising the land is of importance for overwintering waterbirds and other interest features of the SSSI.
Documents providing more information on both these...More
On 24 May 2018 Natural England notified Malvern Common as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Malvern Common is located in Worcestershire, and is on the eastern flanks of the Malvern Hills and comprises a large open common area, with species-rich neutral grassland and rush...More
On 24 May 2018 Natural England notified Lazy Meadow as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Lazy Meadow SSSI is located in Worcestershire and is the only known high quality example of nationally rare species-rich floodplain grassland remaining within the Vale of Evesham.
You can...More
The Government is consulting on plans to introduce a ban on the commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens in England. Commercial third-party sellers are those who are licensed pet sellers, but are not licensed pet breeders; they will hold a licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of...More
This White Paper ‘Sustainable fisheries for future generations’ sets out the government’s vision for future fisheries management and we want to hear your views. More
The use of para-veterinary professionals as Approved Tuberculin Testers (ATTs) to perform tuberculin skin testing of cattle has been permitted in Great Britain since 2005. To date this has been restricted to a small number of suitably trained Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) staff under APHA...More
At the start of 2018 the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Welsh Government published a consultation on proposals to tackle crime and poor performance in the waste sector and introduce a new fixed penalty notice (FPN) for the householder waste Duty of Care....More
Changes to carcase classification by abattoirs in England to improve fairness and price transparency for producers in the livestock sector are being consulted on. This follows the government’s response to the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) call for evidence, which closed earlier this...More
Natural England is inviting views on its proposed approach to considering the use of its existing SSSI byelaw-making powers provided by Section 28R of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act (as amended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000).
These byelaw-making powers are to be used...More
Last summer, we published our plans for reducing roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the UK, setting out our approach to meeting the statutory limits for NO 2 .
This draft of our Clean Air Strategy outlines our ambitions relating to reducing air pollution in the round, making our...More
When we leave the EU, we will be able to build on the successes achieved through our membership, and address the failures, to become a world-leading protector of the natural world. We have also published the 25 Year Environment Plan, which sets out this Government’s ambition for this to be the...More
Non-road mobile machinery and red diesel
Excluding use for agriculture, fishing vessels, home heating and static generators
At Spring Statement 2018, the government announced a call for evidence on the use of rebated gas oil (often called red diesel) by non-road mobile machinery (NRMM - a...More
This consultation is to seek your views on the proposals to designate 41 new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) and to add new features for conservation in 1 2 existing MCZs .
The UK is surrounded by some of the richest and most diverse sea...More
The government has announced a review into serious and organised crime in the waste sector in England.
We would like to know more about the threat and impact of serious and organised crime in the waste sector. We would also like to understand how organisations, such as the...More
Dartmoor National Park Authority is seeking views on proposals that will restrict public access to open access land at this site.
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) gives a public right of access to land mapped as ‘open country’ (mountain, moor, heath and down) or...More
The Peak District National Park Authority is seeking views on proposals that will restrict public access to open access land at this site.
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) gives a public right of access to land mapped as ‘open country’ (mountain, moor, heath and down)...More
On 23 March 2018 the government directed 33 English local authorities with shorter-term NO 2 problems to undertake studies to establish whether there are measures they can take to reduce NO 2 air pollution in their areas in the shortest possible time.
These authorities must...More
Defra and the Welsh Government are seeking your views on proposals to make changes to some of the flood risk exemptions and exclusions in the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, which has been launched today.
The following listed documents are attached below:-
...More
This consultation seeks your views on proposals by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to modify the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse to incorporate guidance on the proportionate and effective use of fixed penalties (civil and criminal) against littering and related...More
This call for evidence seeks views and information on all aspects of animal welfare in transport. Once the UK has left the EU, we would like the welfare in transport regulatory regime to reflect scientific and veterinary knowledge. This evidence will help us determine how we’ll meet the...More
Natural England is seeking views on proposals that will restrict public access to open access land at this site.
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) gives a public right of access to land mapped as ‘open country’ (mountain, moor, heath and down) or registered common land....More
‘ Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit ' sets out the government's ambitions for farming in England and seeks the views of all readers on its proposals.
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We are seeking views on proposals for implementing the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS) in the UK. We are also seeking evidence on the supply, use and marking of traps to better inform our impact assessment. More
We are seeking views on banning electronic training collars (e-collars). These corrective behaviour devices allow electronic or static pulses and other signals to be given to pets by their owners.
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We held our first formal public consultation on the new National Policy Statement for Water Resources in late 2017 which included questions on the type of infrastructure it should apply to. We received a wide range of helpful views and evidence but with no clear consensus on what might be the...More
Natural England is the public body responsible for conserving and enhancing the natural environment in England. One of Natural England’s responsibilities is to decide whether an area should be given special status and protection by designating it as a National Park or Area of Outstanding...More
Defra are seeking your views on the introduction of the Sea Fishing (Enforcement) Regulations 2018.
The proposed regulation has three purposes: it will reinstate enforcement powers to Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Officers (IFCOs) relating to EU technical and other conservation measures...More
The Guidance to Natural England currently states that only ten new areas may be licensed under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 for badger disease control each year (“the ten area limit”). The proposal on which we seek views is the removal of this limit, allowing Natural England to issue...More