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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in England. Concordats set out agreed frameworks for co-operation between it and the Scottish ExecutiveConcordat between MAFF and the Scottish Executive and the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales,Concordat between MAFF and the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales which have devolved responsibilities for these matters in their respective countries.
It was formed in June 2001, when the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) was merged with part of the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) and with a small part of the Home Office. The department was created after the perceived failure of MAFF to deal adequately with an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease. The department had about 8000 core personnel, as of January 2004.
Ministers
After the 2005 General Election, the Ministry was restructured, with one fewer Ministers of State and one further Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State; but this change reverted after the May 2006 reshuffle. The current make-up of the department's ministers is:
- Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs — The Rt Hon. David Miliband MP
- Minister of State — Ian Pearson MP
- Minister of State — Lord Rooker
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare- Ben Bradshaw MP
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Rural Affairs, Landscape and Biodiversity — Barry Gardiner MP
Permanent Secretary
Helen Ghosh is the current Permanent Secretary.
Departmental agencies and sponsored bodies
- Central Science Laboratory headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Farming, Food and Sustainable Energy)
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science — headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Countryside Agency (England)
- Drinking Water Inspectorate
- English Nature to be subsumed into Natural England
- Environmental Stewardship
- Forest Enterprise (England) headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Forest Enterprise (Scotland) headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Forest Enterprise (Wales) headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Forestry Research headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee JNCC
- Pesticides Safety Directorate headed by the Minister of State (Rural Affairs and Local Environmental Quality)
- State Veterinary Service
- Rural Development Service
- Rural Payments Agency headed by the Minister of State (Rural Affairs and Local Environmental Quality)
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Veterinary Medicines Directorate headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
DEFRA regions
DEFRA has eight regional departments:
- East of England (based in Cambridge)
- East Midlands (based in Nottingham)
- North East (based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
- North West (based in Crewe)
- South East (based in Reading)
- South West (based in Bristol)
- West Midlands (based in Worcester)
- Yorkshire and Humberside (based in Leeds)
See also
- Energy policy in the United Kingdom
- Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom
- UK topics
- Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department
External links
Agriculture in the United Kingdom | Departments of the United Kingdom Government | Environment of the United Kingdom | Energy in the United Kingdom
"Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"