Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
From SR
Roles
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a UK Government Department.
The overarching challenge for Defra is to enable everyone to live within their environmental means.
Defra has eight Departmental Strategic Objectives which describe everything they do, and which will be used to manage performance:
- Climate change tackled internationally and through domestic action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- A healthy, resilient, productive & diverse natural environment
- Sustainable patterns of consumption and production
- Economy and society resilient to environmental risk and adapted to the impacts of climate change
- A thriving farming and food sector, with an improving net environmental impact
- Championing Sustainable Development across government, across the UK, and internationally
- Strong rural communities
- A respected department delivering efficient and high quality services and outcomes
Central to achieving these goals will be reducing the environmental impact of the lifestyles we lead, the products that the country’s economy produces and consumes, and the waste we produce. Defra also state that we need to reduce the global impact of our food production and consumption, improving the contribution that a profitable and competitive farming industry in this country can make to our environment.
Defra must maintain high levels of protection of human, animal, and plant health and ensuring the economy is resilient to risks such as those from flooding, disruption to food or water supply and the consequences of a chemical, biological or nuclear incident. Defra is also responsible for enabling adaptation to the inevitable impacts of climate change.
Outputs
Defra champions Sustainable Development, helping Government as a whole to deliver economic, social and environmental sustainability. Defra is also the focal point for rural policy, supporting strong rural communities and ensuring that dispersed rural needs are reflected in social and place-based policies across Government. The Department has a strong international dimension, with a critical role in both European Union and global policy making.
