Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Defra and the regulators are not doing enough to provide guidance and support to help...
Conclusion
Defra and the regulators are not doing enough to provide guidance and support to help farms and other businesses comply. Most businesses want to comply with environmental regulations, but farmers and other businesses need more assistance than they currently get from the regulators so that it is as easy as possible to do so. The regulators have started making changes to address this and improve their guidance. This includes adding real-life case studies so that businesses better understand how regulations should operate, and using digital communications such as automated chat messaging to help direct businesses towards the relevant online guidance more quickly. 5 However, Defra is planning initiatives that will add further complexity for the farming sector, including changes to the environmental land management schemes and publishing its 25-year vision for agriculture. The launch of the new water regulator will also create additional burdens and regulatory touchpoints for farmers. recommendation Defra should assess how upcoming changes will affect the way farmers need to engage with regulators. This should include the impact of the new water regulator, updates to Environmental Land Management schemes, and the upcoming farming roadmap. Defra should report to us within six months on how disruptions will be minimised and the progress made on: - Understanding the implications of the new water regulator; - Understanding the impact of changes to farming policy and how it will allow farmers sufficient time for transition; and - Ensuring that farmers are sufficiently supported.
Government Response
Response Pending
HM Government
Response Pending
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. support farms into compliance, for example the expansion of the Environment Agency's advice-led approach and improved guidance. To go further, Defra is also working with the Department of Business and Trade and Government Digital Service to review how farmers access regulatory guidance, including the effectiveness of existing signposting and the potential role of digital tools to support navigation. The Department will conclude the internal review and develop a delivery plan in January 2027. Defra has committed to consolidating complex agricultural water pollution regulations into a single set of clear, effective and strengthened national standards to improve water quality and protect air and soil quality. Defra will publish the Farming Roadmap this year to set out a long-term direction for farming, including how government expects regulation to evolve over time and how Defra will support the farming sectors to transition to more sustainable, productive and profitable practices. Defra is creating a new, integrated water regulator by bringing together the relevant functions from the existing regulators (of Ofwat, the DWI, the Environment Agency and Natural England) into one new body. This will replace the current fragmented system with a single regulator holding robust powers to oversee water companies and sectors affecting the water environment, enabling more integrated regulation of pressures on water quality and resources. Until the new regulator is legally established, existing bodies will continue to carry out their duties while working more closely together to streamline requirements, reduce duplication and support a “one organisation” approach to ease the burden on customers, including farmers. Further details will be published in due course. The regulator will be legally established as soon as possible following the passage of a Water Reform Bill. Defra will also make leadership appointments to support the transition; this has begun with the appointment of a Senior Adviser, Dame Julia Black, in April 2026.