Corporate report

Creating a great place for living: together we are building a green and healthy future

Published 2 November 2018

This was published under the 2016 to 2019 May Conservative government

This corporate report was withdrawn on 16 July 2021

This page has been withdrawn because it’s out of date. You can read about Defra’s vision, mission and priorities in our outcome delivery plan.

Our vision

The Defra group is here to make our air purer, our water cleaner, our land greener and our food more sustainable.

Our mission is to restore and enhance the environment for the next generation, and to leave the environment in a better state.

This matters because enhancing nature and green spaces enhances lives. Our wellbeing, our physical and mental health, our love of place and landscape, and our intrinsic need for beauty, awe and wonder, are all intimately bound up with a thriving natural environment.

A healthy and resilient natural world underpins economic prosperity. Investing in species and habitats is an investment in a sustainable economy. Environmental services and technologies drive economic growth and are part of a modern economy.

We know better than ever before that economic growth should not come at the cost of environmental degradation. We have a responsibility to tackle, rather than tolerate, challenges like climate change, poor air quality and our reliance on plastics.

Acting in harmony with nature is central to our approach as we work tirelessly to build world class food, farming and fisheries sectors.

Farmers play a vital role in maintaining the long-term health of our countryside. We will foster a model of resilient and environmentally-sound farming, with high standards of animal and plant health. We will drive the use of new technologies to increase productivity and efficiencies in the use of resources, alongside more extensive farming systems that deliver multiple public benefits. In so doing, we will give farmers confidence in their future.

A world-class food sector is central to the health of our economy and our people. We will invest in science and technology to drive sustainable innovations in food manufacturing and processing. We will support new global market opportunities for our agri-food industry and working with the other UK administrations, make sure that the UK is a great place for food and drinks businesses. We want a healthy population and to achieve that, we want everyone - regardless of where they live or how much they earn – to be able to access a healthy and enjoyable diet.

Ambitious domestic action will drive international influence. Whilst investing in improvements at home, we model high standards in food, farming and environmental protection abroad, reflected in our diplomacy and future trade deals. This is our green and healthy future, as a truly Global Britain.

Four objectives guide our work

They are to:

• pass on to the next generation a natural environment protected and enhanced for the future
• lead the world in food, farming and fisheries with a sustainable model of food production
• deliver a safe and ambitious departure from the EU, setting global standards in protecting and harnessing value from the natural environment
• be an outstanding organisation focused on making a difference, with world class delivery capability

Ten goals underpin our vision

1. Sustainable farming and food

We will reform the farming sector to make it more prosperous and resilient, championing productive farming underpinned by sound environmental land management and high animal welfare standards and we will develop a new food policy.

2. Pure air, clean rivers and a resilient water supply

We will make our air healthier to breathe through our Clean Air Strategy and by delivering new approaches to tackling all sources of air pollution. We will reform how our water industry works to improve the resilience of our water supply, and we will work with farmers on catchment-based approaches to water management.

3. Healthy seas and oceans

We will take back control of our waters to restore and maintain the healthy fish stocks and marine environment which underpin a prosperous fishing sector. We will create a Blue Belt of protected areas where our rich biodiversity can flourish, and drive down our use of plastics.

4. Beautiful landscapes, flourishing wildlife and native species

We will drive nature’s recovery through world class legislation and the adoption of natural capital approaches and we will look afresh at how we protect and enhance the beauty of our distinctive landscapes.

5. Thriving rural economies and communities

We will ensure that the needs and challenges facing rural communities and businesses are properly considered, and that people who live in the countryside have the same opportunities as those who live in our towns and cities.

6. Efficient resource use and reduced waste

We will deliver new approaches to reducing waste, promote markets for secondary materials, incentivise producers to design better products and ensure that materials are kept in productive use for longer. We will innovate to promote sustainable and efficient use of our renewable natural resources, such as fish and timber.

7. Protecting animals and plants from health risks

We will work to maintain secure imports and high standards to reduce the impact of diseases and invasive species, recognising how animals and plants sustain and enhance our health, wealth and wellbeing. We will work in partnership with the public, industry, vets and colleagues across government.

8. Resilient communities and economies

We will lead the response and recovery to floods, other natural hazards and emergencies. We will secure stronger levels of protection from flooding by investing in green and physical infrastructure, and champion approaches which embed resilience in long-term investment decisions.

9. Great places for living for people and animals

We will ensure that government action on housing goes hand-in-hand with investment in thriving green spaces and waterways, from urban green spaces to our great national parks and forests. We will encourage more people to spend time in nature, and lay new legislation to secure higher welfare standards for companion animals.

10. Green global Britain

We will play a global leadership role in calling for an ambitious post-2020 global biodiversity framework. We will also work to promote the continued strengthening of international agreements for further enhancing and protecting the environment and lead the way internationally by role modelling domestically best practice, and by using our UK aid to support action. We will also ensure that the high standards in food, farming and environmental protections that we pursue at home are upheld through future trade deals.

Five principles inform how we act

We:

• inspire people by a cause - we act with conviction and clarity of purpose, showing leadership and working in partnership across government, the country and internationally for the good of nature and society

• challenge the status quo, are impatient with bureaucracy and embrace new ideas, new people and new ways of working to drive the fastest possible change

• focus on the things that only government can do, and our interventions are driven by clear prioritisation and good governance

• design clear and ambitious metrics to create incentives to do the right thing and encourage others to play their part

• are building a world-class organisation, working across boundaries, and making the best use of technology, data and digital media