Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Twelve Secretaries of State have served since 2010: Caroline Spelman, Owen Paterson (later forced from Parliament over the lobbying scandal), Liz Truss (later Prime Minister for 49 days), Andrea Leadsom, Michael Gove, Theresa Villiers, George Eustice, Ranil Jayawardena (49 days under Truss), Thérèse Coffey, Steve Barclay, Steve Reed and Emma Reynolds. The brief has been a revolving door. Paterson used his position to benefit paying clients and was found guilty of "an egregious case of paid advocacy." Jayawardena lasted seven weeks. Eustice later described the Australia trade deal he negotiated as "not actually a very good deal for the UK." The politicians who held responsibility for farming, food and the environment treated the department as a waiting room for something more important.

Food security is the most strategically serious issue the department faces. On what Defra calls the "actual consumption" measure, around 54 percent of the food on UK plates is home grown or from UK livestock. For foods that can be produced domestically, the UK produces around 75 percent. The NFU president has said the sector is "seeing contraction pretty much across every sector." Farming businesses face changing subsidy systems, rising regulation, labour shortages and increasing costs. The food and drink sector as a whole is worth £148 billion to the national economy and supports more than four million jobs, making it the UK's largest manufacturing sector. Yet the department responsible for it is having its operational budget cut.

The transition from the old EU Basic Payment Scheme to Environmental Land Management schemes has been the most significant change for farming in a generation. ELM funding paid to farmers is rising from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29, a 150 percent increase. Total investment in sustainable farming and nature recovery will reach more than £2.7 billion per year from 2026/27 to 2028/29. But the NFU argues the actual increase above what was already committed is only £200 million over four years, barely keeping pace with inflation. Farmers have experienced sudden scheme suspensions, changed eligibility rules and uncertain future access. The government says it is delivering "the most nature friendly settlement in history." Many farmers say the transition from guaranteed area payments to competitive environmental schemes is existential.

Water pollution has become one of the most politically toxic environmental issues in the country. Water companies dumped sewage into British waterways 775,568 times over a two year period. The combined duration of those spillages was 5.7 million hours, equivalent to approximately 600 years of continuous discharge. The government is creating a single water regulator to replace Ofwat and has ringfenced water infrastructure funding so it can only be spent on upgrades that benefit customers. Whether the new regulator proves tougher than its predecessor is the test. Environmental organisations report that 95 percent of English rivers are polluted by harmful substances.

Flooding remains one of the department's most visible responsibilities. The government has committed £4.2 billion over three years from 2026/27 to 2028/29 to build and maintain flood defences, a 5 percent annual increase. The Environment Agency's flood defence infrastructure is valued at £9.1 billion. Each major flood produces promises of action. The public has noticed that similar promises often follow the next flood. Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. The question is whether investment is keeping pace with the risk.

The department faces a deeper structural problem. The Animal and Plant Health Agency's own teams are "not confident" in their ability to respond to serious disease outbreaks (category 4 and 5 on Defra's scale). The 2030 legally binding nature targets are at risk from the funding gap. Productive farmland is expected to support food production, environmental restoration, housing, renewable energy and biodiversity simultaneously. Every objective has merit. No clear national priority exists to resolve the conflicts between them.

Defra can point to genuine achievements. Air quality has improved. Wildlife protection programmes have delivered successes. The ELM funding increase is real. The flood defence budget is growing. The new water regulator signals intent. These are not nothing.

What concerns the public is the gap between ambition and visible results. Rivers remain polluted after 775,568 sewage discharges. Food self sufficiency sits at 54 percent and farming is contracting. The department's operational budget is being cut. Twelve Secretaries of State have passed through in 16 years, including one who used the role for paid advocacy and another who lasted seven weeks. Defra has become highly effective at producing strategies, targets and frameworks. It has been less convincing at delivering the clean rivers, secure food supply, resilient flood defences and thriving rural economy that the public expects. A department responsible for the food people eat, the water they drink and the land they live on should not be one of the lowest spending priorities in government.