Supporting and developing British farming, and encouraging sustainable food production, is one of the three departmental priorities laid down in Defra’s Business Plan. This includes helping to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of the whole food chain, including farms and the fish industry, to ensure a secure, environmentally sustainable and healthy supply of food with improved standards of animal welfare.

In support of this we work in a number of areas including:

• Food strategy, personal food imports, food labelling and public sector food procurement
• Farm animals: animal welfare, animal health and diseases, and livestock movement controls
• Crops – including organics, GM crops, plant health, bees
• Fishing industry – conservation of fish stocks and the EU Common Fisheries Policy
• Farm management, Single Payment Scheme, Environmental Stewardship
• The Review of Farm Regulation, CAP Reform

Recent publications

• Industry Debate on the Future of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board

• Establishing and running a badger culling training course and assessing competence: minimum course requirements

• Cage-trapping and shooting of badgers under licence to prevent the spread of bovine TB in cattle

• Controlled shooting of badgers in the field under licence to prevent the spread of bovine TB in cattle

• Bovine TB Compliance and Enforcement Priorities

• Bluetongue – Guidance for livestock keepers

• Bluetongue Flyer

• UK Bluetongue Control Strategy

• Bluetongue Disease Contingency Plans for Great Britain

• Great Britain and Northern Ireland Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Diseases of Animals

All food and farming publications