In November 2021, Defra launched a consultation on proposals to ban the supply of single-use plastic plates, cutlery, and balloon sticks and expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers. The consultation took place as part of the 25 Year Environment Plan ambition to eliminate avoidable plastic waste by 2042. The responses have now been
Tag Archives: defra
Government to ban the supply of unnecessary single-use plastic items
by NW Coastal Forum on January 18, 2023
2022 Bathing Water Results
by NW Coastal Forum on December 21, 2022
Defra has announced the 2022 bathing water results. The results summarise the compliance of coastal and inland designated bathing waters for England in 2022. In summary 97.1% met at least the minimum Bathing Water standard, and 72.1% met the ‘excellent’ standard, however 2.9% did not meet the minimum standard for bathing and are classed as
Marine Wildlife Bycatch Mitigation Initiative
by NW Coastal Forum on August 17, 2022
Defra has published a policy paper setting out its ambitions and a series of actions to reduce and, where possible, eliminate accidental capture and entanglement of sensitive marine species in fishing gear in UK waters. Sensitive marine species include seabirds, cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), and sharks, skates and rays. Bycatch monitoring programmes in the
Closed – consultation on pilot sites for Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs)
by NW Coastal Forum on July 6, 2022
Closes 28th September 2022 Defra has launched a consultation on proposals to designate pilot Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), including a candidate site of Allonby Bay, Cumbria. In 2019 the UK Government commissioned an independent review, the Benyon Review, to explore the concept of HPMAs. The Review concluded that they are an essential component of
Closed – consultation: the Government’s Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan
by NW Coastal Forum on March 5, 2022
Closes 11:45 p.m. 12th May 2022 Defra is seeking views on new government targets to tackle the issue of sewage discharges to eliminate ecological and public healthhttps://consult.defra.gov.uk/water-industry/storm-overflows-discharge-reduction-plan/ harm arising from storm-related sewage overflows. There are around 15,000 storm overflows in England, and in 2020 there were over 400,000 sewage discharges, totalling over 3 million hours.
Closed consultation: Draft Joint Fisheries Statement
by NW Coastal Forum on March 1, 2022
Consultation closed 11:45 p.m. 12th April 2022 Defra is seeking view on the draft Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS), which has been developed by the 4 fisheries administrations of the UK (Scottish Government, Welsh Government, UK Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland). The consultation seeks views on the policies
Closed consultation – Nature Recovery Green Paper: Protected Sites and Species
by NW Coastal Forum on March 1, 2022
Consultation closes 11:45 p.m. 11th May 2022 Defra is seeking views on initial policy proposals regarding protected sites and species. The Government’s targets are to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030, and to halt species decline by 2030. The proposals set out in the Green Paper support these ambitions and include options to
Closed consultation: Environment Act 2021 Environmental Targets
by NW Coastal Forum on March 1, 2022
Consultation closes 11:45 p.m., 11th May 2022 Defra is seeking views on proposed new environmental targets under the Environment Act 2021. The Act requires that at least one target in each of four priority areas is set in: air, water, biodiversity, and resource efficiency and waste reduction. It also requires targets to be set for
Bathing Water Quality Statistics
by NW Coastal Forum on February 6, 2022
Defra has published statistics summarising the statistics on English coastal and inland bathing waters in 2021 and their compliance with the 2013 Bathing Water Regulations. In summary, out of the 417 bathing waters measured in England: 413 (99%) met at least the minimum standard under the Regulations with 295 of these classified as ‘excellent’, 100 classified as
Closed – Consultation: Best Practice Guidance for Developing Compensatory Measures in Relation to Marine Protected Areas
by NW Coastal Forum on August 30, 2021
Consultation closes 11:45pm on 30 September 2021 DEFRA is seeking views on best practice guidance for developing compensatory measures in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), a future approach to strategic compensation, and how net gain and compensation can work together to deliver the best outcomes for the marine environment. The guidance has been developed as a