Department For Environment

The guidance explains how UK packaging producers must create and submit CSV files for extended producer responsibility reporting. It provides example files, an Excel file-generator tool, required columns and validation rules, reporting codes for large and small producers, packaging classifications and materials, UK country codes, recyclability ratings, and specific rules for household, non-household, reusable, drink-container, self-managed waste and closed-loop packaging. Completed files must be saved in CSV format and uploaded through the Report packaging data service; producers that miss deadlines are advised to contact their environmental regulator.

The guidance explains how organisations with packaging extended producer responsibility obligations must create and submit registration files through the Report packaging data service, either directly to an environmental regulator or through a compliance scheme. It details the required organisation, address, contact, producer-size, brand and partnership information; CSV templates and formatting rules; procedures for corporate groups, sole traders and compliance schemes; and joiner and leaver codes for reporting changes. Organisations must keep registration information updated and report changes within 28 days.

Enrique Fernandez-Pino has been appointed to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board for a three-year term beginning 1 September 2026. The appointment followed the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments and was made on merit. Fernandez-Pino brings more than 30 years of digital, data and technology leadership experience from organizations including The Go-Ahead Group, Chubb and Network Rail.

UK government ICT carbon emissions were estimated at 294,654 tonnes in 2024–2025, down 13% from the previous year, while ICT waste fell 36% to 955 tonnes. Less than 1% of waste went to landfill or incineration, 37% was reused and 62% recycled, and more than £2 million was recovered through resale of end-of-life equipment. Most emissions came from servers, peripherals and end-user devices, particularly embodied carbon. The report rates nearly all Greening Government ICT commitments as on track, but considers the measurement of refurbished and remanufactured procurement at risk. It also highlights continuing data-quality limitations and the need for a forthcoming government digital sustainability strategy focused on reducing emissions and waste, improving circularity, efficiency and resilience, and supporting British businesses.

UK guidance explains when environmental impact assessment requirements under the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement may apply. Activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction must be screened if they could have more than a minor or transitory effect on the marine environment, with a full assessment required where substantial pollution or significant harmful changes may result. Similar requirements can apply to activities within national jurisdiction if they may affect marine areas beyond national jurisdiction. The guidance directs applicants to relevant regulators and notes that Antarctic activities are governed separately under the Antarctic Act 1994 and associated regulations.

The BBNJ Conference of the Parties can establish area-based management tools, including marine protected areas and related restrictions, in areas beyond national jurisdiction. No such tools or measures have yet been proposed or established under the agreement. Future proposals will undergo stakeholder consultation, and the GOV.UK guidance will be updated when measures are adopted. The information is relevant to UK vessels and activities that may be subject to controls in these areas, but not to activities conducted solely within national jurisdiction.

Licensed or permitted organisations receiving controlled waste in England or Wales must report every load through the Report receipt of waste service from 1 October 2026. Records must generally be submitted within two working days and include movement, carrier, classification, recovery or disposal, hazardous-waste and persistent-organic-pollutant data. Household waste recycling centres and qualifying digitally excluded operators have exemptions or alternative written-record processes. Existing waste-transfer notes, consignment notes and returns remain required until further notice. Errors must be corrected promptly, outages documented and reported, and records retained where applicable. Non-compliance can result in notices, monetary penalties, prosecution, unlimited fines and imprisonment for knowingly false records, with formal objection and appeal routes available.

The 15-year review of the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan finds that it provides substantial socioeconomic and environmental protection across 27 local council areas from Teddington to Shoeburyness, while existing flood defences are performing well. Accelerating sea-level rise will require greater long-term investment, improved tidal forecasting and reassessment of future infrastructure requirements.

The UK has declared freedom from highly pathogenic avian influenza for Great Britain, and England’s avian influenza prevention zone was lifted on 4 June 2026. During the 2025–2026 outbreak season, 79 HPAI H5N1 cases and one low-pathogenic avian influenza case were confirmed in England, contributing to 100 HPAI cases across the UK. Current risks to wild birds and poultry are assessed as low, while UKHSA and the Food Standards Agency say the risks to public health and food safety are very low; properly cooked poultry and eggs remain safe to eat. The guidance explains how bird keepers and the public can report disease, maintain biosecurity, follow disease-zone rules, handle dead wild birds, manage mammals and understand vaccination restrictions.

The publication sets compensation rates payable in August 2026 for cattle compulsorily slaughtered in England because of bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, enzootic bovine leukosis, BSE or related disease-control requirements. It provides per-head values for non-pedigree and pedigree beef and dairy cattle by age, sex and breeding status, with some categories subject to individual valuation. Rates are based on recent cattle sales data from Great Britain, with one month of data used for non-pedigree cattle and six months for pedigree animals. Compensation may be reduced for TB reactors from herds with overdue tests, and no Defra compensation is payable where owners voluntarily arrange private slaughter in return for salvage payments.

The UK government responds positively to the Animal Sentience Committee’s assessment of the UK REACH restriction on lead ammunition. Regulations entering force on 1 April 2026 will prohibit lead bullets at outdoor shooting ranges from 1 April 2028 unless risk-management and information conditions are met, and will prohibit the sale and use of lead shot and large-calibre lead bullets for live-quarry shooting from 1 April 2029, with limited exemptions for elite athletes. Airgun ammunition remains outside the restriction. The government accepts that hunters must adapt their techniques and that guidance, monitoring and enforcement will be important to prevent reduced lethality and additional animal suffering. It maintains that the three-year transition period is appropriate, while noting the committee’s concerns about its adequacy for livestock euthanasia, and agrees to consider whether firearms licensing could eventually support restrictions on airgun ammunition.

The Environment Agency has declared seven areas of England to be in drought after exceptionally low rainfall and high temperatures, while other regions remain in prolonged dry weather and only Yorkshire and the North East retain normal status. July rainfall is just 7% of average, river flows and reservoir storage have fallen sharply, and seven water companies have introduced temporary use bans affecting 23 million customers. The conditions are disrupting agriculture, increasing wildfire risks and harming fish and other wildlife. Authorities are tightening water-abstraction controls, releasing strategic supplies, rescuing fish, monitoring rivers and reservoirs, and pressing water companies to fix leaks. Officials warn that droughts are becoming more frequent as the climate changes, but say current reserves should last until sustained rainfall returns if households and businesses reduce water use.

The government has appointed the Marine Management Organisation as Lead Environmental Regulator for the Port of Tyne’s proposed Clean Energy Park, streamlining coordination among regulators to accelerate approvals. The £175 million project is expected to create up to 12,000 jobs, expand port infrastructure to support offshore wind development and contribute over £5.6 billion to the regional and national economy. Officials emphasise that the approach will maintain environmental protections while enabling faster decision-making, reflecting broader government efforts to simplify regulation and advance clean energy goals.

A new UK-Switzerland free trade agreement grants tariff-free access for UK lamb for the first time and reduces tariffs on beef, dairy and English sparkling wine, improving competitiveness in a market worth £195 million annually. The deal protects sensitive UK farming sectors by offering no new access for Swiss pork, poultry or eggs while expanding opportunities for fruit, vegetable and dairy exporters. It enhances protection for 28 additional UK Geographical Indications and introduces a sanitary and phytosanitary chapter to streamline trade processes and reduce border barriers. NFU leadership supports the agreement as balanced and beneficial for UK farmers.

A non‑statutory inquiry will be established to examine the circumstances surrounding the 2014 death of seven‑year‑old Zane Gbangbola, including the coordination of public services and the treatment of his family. Dr Sandie Okoro has been appointed to chair the independent inquiry, which will engage with the family before beginning work in the autumn. Government leaders and Zane’s parents expressed hope that the process will deliver clarity, ensure unanswered questions are addressed and help prevent similar tragedies. The government will publicly respond to the inquiry’s recommendations once issued.

New civil and automatic penalties of up to £500,000 have been introduced to strengthen enforcement against water companies that breach environmental rules. The Environment Agency will gain expanded powers, including the use of a lower civil standard of proof to issue faster financial sanctions, alongside continued criminal prosecution for serious offences. Automatic £10,000 fines will apply to clearly defined breaches such as failure to report pollution incidents, with higher penalties for late payment. The reforms, enabled by the Water (Special Measures) Act, form part of wider government measures to curb pollution, enhance regulatory oversight, increase transparency, and improve water infrastructure through more than £104 billion in planned investment. Modelling suggests annual costs to water companies of £50–67 million, which cannot be passed on to customers, and are expected to decline as compliance improves.

Sets out the delivery plan for statutory and interim species targets established under the Environment Act, outlining updates to monitoring, reporting processes, ecological time lags, and the Land Use Framework to support progress toward long‑term biodiversity improvement targets in England.

Large producers with packaging-related obligations under the UK’s extended producer responsibility scheme must register with their environmental regulator, either directly or through an approved compliance scheme, and pay an annual fee. For 2027, the registration deadline is 1 October 2026, except for organisations whose only activity is selling filled packaging directly to end users, which have until 1 April 2027. Direct registration costs £2,842, while registration through a compliance scheme costs £1,803, with additional fees for certain groups, online marketplaces and closed-loop packaging waste. Registration involves creating an account on the Report packaging data service, obtaining approval as an approved person, submitting organisational details and packaging data, and paying the fee. Organisations must report changes within 28 days and notify regulators if they cease to have obligations or encounter insolvency; non-compliance or false information can lead to cancellation of registration and enforcement action.

England’s general licence permits the use of inactivated bluetongue serotype 3 vaccine without an individual application, provided all licence conditions are followed. Vaccine use must be reported within 48 hours, and veterinarians are advised to read the Chief Veterinary Officer’s guidance before prescribing. The licence applies only in England; separate arrangements exist for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator enforces the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 and the Fair Dealing Obligations (Pigs) Regulations 2025 in the UK. The guidance explains how producers can raise confidential concerns or make formal complaints about milk and pig purchase contracts, and outlines ASCA’s investigation and enforcement powers. Where purchasers breach the regulations, ASCA may impose civil penalties of up to 1% of turnover, require compensation, or both. The page also links to statutory and additional guidance, complaint procedures, privacy information and ASCA’s annual report.

Guidance for large producers under the UK’s extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging. It explains how organisations determine whether they are large producers, identify applicable packaging activities, classify materials and packaging types, record weights and nation data, assess recyclability, and report self-managed or reusable packaging. Producers must submit the required information through the Report Packaging Data service, following specific rules for branded, imported, empty, hired, loaned, and online-marketplace packaging.

UK businesses must assess whether they are packaging producers under extended producer responsibility rules. Organisations generally become obligated producers if they are established in the UK, supplied or imported more than 25 tonnes of packaging in the previous year, and had worldwide annual turnover of at least £1 million. The guidance explains how packaging activities, corporate groups, subsidiaries, charities and UK establishment affect obligations, and distinguishes small producers from large producers. Large producers must register annually, report data every six months, meet recycling obligations through PRNs or PERNs, submit compliance certificates, pay applicable household packaging waste fees and retain records for seven years. Small producers must register, report packaging data annually and retain records for seven years.

Ports and airports in Great Britain must be designated as border control posts to receive specified imports of animals, animal products, plants, plant products, wood and certain high-risk foods of non-animal origin. Applicants must demonstrate that the facility has suitable staff, capacity, equipment, laboratory access, biosecurity and anti-contamination arrangements. They should submit an expression of interest or request an application form, including the site location, customs area and expected import commodities and volumes. Relevant authorities will advise on building plans, inspect construction and recommend corrective actions before the competent authority makes a designation decision. The process and responsible authority vary between England, Wales and Scotland, and the timescale depends on the scope, complexity and speed of construction.

The guidance explains how sheep farmers and dipping contractors in England can prevent groundwater and surface-water pollution from hazardous sheep dip. It sets requirements for competency certification, environmental permits, safe site selection, equipment, storage, dipping procedures, waste treatment and disposal, record-keeping, and emergency spill reporting. Waste dip must be contained and disposed of under appropriate permits, while contractors must hold the required waste-carrier licences and permits. Failure to comply can lead to prosecution, imprisonment and substantial fines.

Rabies in bats is rare in Great Britain but can be transmitted to humans and other mammals through bites, scratches or contact with saliva. Suspected cases must be reported immediately to the relevant authorities. The guidance outlines warning signs, precautions for handling bats, urgent steps after possible exposure, advice for pets, and the monitoring of confirmed cases across Great Britain.