Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

We are responsible for improving and protecting the environment. We aim to grow a green economy and sustain thriving rural communities. We also support our world-leading food, farming and fishing industries. Defra is a ministerial department, supported by 35 agencies and public bodies.

Website

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs

Ministers

• The Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey MP
  Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• The Rt Hon Lord Benyon
  Minister of State (Minister for Biosecurity, Marine and Rural Affairs)
• The Rt Hon Mark Spencer MP
  Minister of State (Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries)
• Trudy Harrison MP
  Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Natural Environment and Land Use)
• Rebecca Pow MP
  Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience)

Petitions linked to this department

Sorted by date, most recent first

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• Protect hares and their young from shooting during the breeding season
  Opened on Tuesday 29th April 2025
  1,648 signatures so far

• Ban all zoos
  Opened on Monday 28th April 2025
  17 signatures so far

• Ban herbicides containing Glyphosate to protect people, food and the environment
  Opened on Friday 25th April 2025
  98 signatures so far

• Ban the production and sale of small animal cages
  Opened on Friday 25th April 2025
  122 signatures so far

• Require producers to declare how much metal is in food, drink and supplements
  Opened on Thursday 24th April 2025
  214 signatures so far

• Require an expert to examine a pet before seizure under the Dangerous Dogs Act
  Opened on Wednesday 23rd April 2025
  32 signatures so far

• Strengthen the Animal Welfare Act 2006
  Opened on Tuesday 22nd April 2025
  5,078 signatures so far

• Reinstate the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) to support farmers and nature
  Opened on Tuesday 22nd April 2025
  38 signatures so far

• Fund planting more hedgerows to increase biodiversity
  Opened on Tuesday 22nd April 2025
  33 signatures so far

• Legalise Bow Hunting
  Opened on Thursday 17th April 2025
  91 signatures so far

• Require companies to use AI modelling instead of animal testing if possible
  Opened on Thursday 17th April 2025
  19 signatures so far

• Form a centralised microchip & DNA database for dog breeding, care, and welfare
  Opened on Wednesday 16th April 2025
  431 signatures so far

• Stop Energy Companies charging more for day time usage when on Economy 7

• Stop Energy Companies charging more for day time usage when on Economy 7
  Opened on Wednesday 16th April 2025
  18 signatures so far

• Ban rodent traps that kill or hurt mice and other rodents
  Opened on Tuesday 15th April 2025
  117 signatures so far

• Require by law all sports netting to be tied up when not in use
  Opened on Tuesday 15th April 2025
  2,879 signatures so far

• Regulate processes that can be used for adoption of animals
  Opened on Monday 14th April 2025
  17 signatures so far

• Ban the import of foie gras into the UK
  Opened on Thursday 10th April 2025
  76 signatures so far

• Democratically elect National Park Authorities & the Broads Authority
  Opened on Thursday 10th April 2025
  61 signatures so far

• Create a new independent regulatory body for vets
  Opened on Tuesday 8th April 2025
  789 signatures so far

• Introduce Licensing and Regulation for Dog and Cat Rescues to Protect Welfare
  Opened on Tuesday 8th April 2025
  1,260 signatures so far

• Reform Dog Laws: Licensing & Mandatory Training Instead of Breed Bans
  Opened on Friday 4th April 2025
  43 signatures so far

• Base Extended Producer Responsibility fees for packaging on units not weight
  Opened on Wednesday 2nd April 2025
  22 signatures so far

• Change law regarding owners giving up their dogs
  Opened on Wednesday 2nd April 2025
  207 signatures so far

• Regulate the keeping and breeding of all foxes, both native and non-native
  Opened on Tuesday 1st April 2025
  45 signatures so far

• Require landowners to protect public footpaths in areas shared with cattle
  Opened on Monday 31st March 2025
  26 signatures so far

• Ban lab grown meat for pet food, and do not approve it for human consumption
  Opened on Monday 31st March 2025
  49 signatures so far

• Make it illegal to use "enriched" cages in farming
  Opened on Friday 28th March 2025
  68 signatures so far

• Distinguish pets from other types of property in civil and family proceedings
  Opened on Thursday 27th March 2025
  4,310 signatures so far

• Strengthen law on tortoise breeding, ownership and imports
  Opened on Thursday 27th March 2025
  28 signatures so far

• Require air-freighted produce to be labelled as such
  Opened on Thursday 27th March 2025
  18 signatures so far

• Reintroduce the dog licence for dog owners
  Opened on Thursday 27th March 2025
  113 signatures so far

• Ban the residential use of artificial grass
  Opened on Wednesday 26th March 2025
  1,478 signatures so far

• Start a government "do not drop litter" campaign
  Opened on Wednesday 26th March 2025
  1,043 signatures so far

• Unban the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds
  Opened on Wednesday 26th March 2025
  21 signatures so far

• Introduce legal standards for hedgehog houses
  Opened on Tuesday 25th March 2025
  199 signatures so far

• Change the switch back to British Summer Time (BST) to approx 1st March
  Opened on Tuesday 25th March 2025
  32 signatures so far

• Promote plant-based foods over meat and dairy for a healthier Britain
  Opened on Monday 24th March 2025
  2,843 signatures so far

• Fund making Pet Neutering Free for all animals
  Opened on Monday 24th March 2025
  29 signatures so far

• Introduce a right to roam law, also known as the right of responsible access

• Introduce a right to roam law, also known as the right of responsible access
  Opened on Wednesday 19th March 2025
  43 signatures so far

• Introduce compulsory fee based licencing for deer stalking guides.
  Opened on Tuesday 18th March 2025
  16 signatures so far

• Create a single, UK-wide exemption certificate for XL Bullies
  Opened on Tuesday 18th March 2025
  108 signatures so far

• Stay on Greenwich Mean Time
  Opened on Monday 17th March 2025
  75 signatures so far

• Ban UK exports of pesticides that are banned on UK farms.
  Opened on Monday 17th March 2025
  33 signatures so far

• Provide funding to address roadside litter across motorways and towns
  Opened on Tuesday 11th March 2025
  50 signatures so far

• To promote animal adoption, ban the sale of cats and dogs
  Opened on Tuesday 11th March 2025
  43 signatures so far

• Require social housing providers to allow XL bullies with exemption certificate
  Opened on Tuesday 11th March 2025
  1,399 signatures so far

• Require hunting hounds to wear muzzles when on a trail or clean boot hunt
  Opened on Monday 10th March 2025
  32 signatures so far

• Ban new waste incinerators and revoke permits where building has not begun
  Opened on Friday 7th March 2025
  12,688 signatures so far

• Ban palm oil
  Opened on Thursday 6th March 2025
  60 signatures so far

• Ban the sale of all rawhide products for pets
  Opened on Wednesday 5th March 2025
  54 signatures so far

• Create a national welfare team to oversee kennels holding seized dogs
  Opened on Tuesday 4th March 2025
  1,134 signatures so far

• Ban the suffering, fast-growing 'frankenchicken' breeds
  Opened on Friday 28th February 2025
  74 signatures so far

• Don’t abandon the Chalk Stream recovery pack
  Opened on Tuesday 25th February 2025
  5,237 signatures so far

• Don’t abandon the Chalk Stream recovery pack

• Pass a law to ban the addition of iron to food
  Opened on Tuesday 25th February 2025
  72 signatures so far

• Ban plastic packaging and use of PFAS in all food-related products
  Opened on Tuesday 25th February 2025
  68 signatures so far

• Provide funding to preserve and protect cemeteries around the UK.
  Opened on Friday 21st February 2025
  2,713 signatures so far

• Review how police deal with dogs, including using tranquiliser guns.
  Opened on Thursday 20th February 2025
  54 signatures so far

• Implement Proportional Property-Based Fines for Illegal Fox Hunting.
  Opened on Wednesday 19th February 2025
  43 signatures so far

• Make it mandatory for all dogs to be on leads in public places.
  Opened on Wednesday 19th February 2025
  124 signatures so far

• Include a "Right to food and water" in the Human Rights Act 1998
  Opened on Monday 17th February 2025
  52 signatures so far

• Ban the use of all Single-Use Plastics
  Opened on Friday 14th February 2025
  98 signatures so far

• Hold a referendum on banning feed additives used to reduce methane in cattle.
  Opened on Monday 10th February 2025
  48 signatures so far

• Hold landowners accountable for raptor persecution on their land
  Opened on Monday 3rd February 2025
  44 signatures so far

• Reduce paperwork for claiming agricultural subsidies
  Opened on Monday 3rd February 2025
  20 signatures so far

• Add hedgehogs to schedule 5 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981
  Opened on Friday 31st January 2025
  6,049 signatures so far

• Collect and publish data on companion animal euthanasia
  Opened on Wednesday 29th January 2025
  1,394 signatures so far

• Fund vouchers for special dietary foods
  Opened on Wednesday 29th January 2025
  38 signatures so far

• Ban greyhound racing
  Opened on Wednesday 29th January 2025
  228 signatures so far

• Regulate Ultra Processed Food (UPF) packaging and marketing
  Opened on Monday 27th January 2025
  226 signatures so far

• Increase maximum animal cruelty punishment from five years to eight years
  Opened on Monday 27th January 2025
  86 signatures so far

• End the use of cages and crates for all farmed animals
  Opened on Friday 24th January 2025
  102,112 signatures so far

• Protect Driven Grouse Shooting
  Opened on Friday 24th January 2025
  36 signatures so far

• Stricter regulations on the breeding and sale/adoption of pets
  Opened on Thursday 23rd January 2025
  65 signatures so far

• Make onion, garlic and other alliums recognised allergens on food labels
  Opened on Wednesday 22nd January 2025
  53 signatures so far

• Legislate against reselling or giving up young puppies/kittens to a third party
  Opened on Monday 20th January 2025
  130 signatures so far

• Require coriander be displayed in bold text in all product ingredient lists
  Opened on Monday 20th January 2025
  25 signatures so far

• Impose a lifetime ban on animal ownership for anyone convicted of animal cruelty
  Opened on Monday 20th January 2025
  11,977 signatures so far

• Ban the Shaving of 90% of Tail Hair from the Draught Horse Breed.
  Opened on Friday 17th January 2025
  480 signatures so far

• Amend the Pet Abduction Act to include horses
  Opened on Thursday 16th January 2025
  438 signatures so far

• Regulate small animal breeding
  Opened on Thursday 16th January 2025
  207 signatures so far

• Ban male chick culling in egg production
  Opened on Wednesday 15th January 2025
  115 signatures so far

• Introduce a rehoming scheme for banned breeds
  Opened on Monday 13th January 2025
  417 signatures so far

• Create a primary adoption right for unclaimed stray dogs
  Opened on Monday 13th January 2025
  50 signatures so far

• Review and mandate DNA testing to end honey fraud and protect real producers.
  Opened on Friday 10th January 2025
  818 signatures so far

• Require labelling of beef & dairy from cows fed with additives to reduce methane
  Opened on Tuesday 7th January 2025
  36,141 signatures so far

• Cap cost of food and pet food prices
  Opened on Tuesday 7th January 2025
  111 signatures so far

• Ban the sale of cut-down Christmas trees
  Opened on Tuesday 7th January 2025
  29 signatures so far

• Introduce a Statutory Levy on Bookmakers to Fund Greyhound Welfare
  Opened on Thursday 2nd January 2025
  3,787 signatures so far

• Make all types of animal snares illegal in England
  Opened on Monday 23rd December 2024
  161 signatures so far

• Ban Fur Imports into the UK
  Opened on Monday 23rd December 2024
  1,000 signatures so far

• Strengthen suitable environment criteria for dogs under animal welfare act
  Opened on Monday 23rd December 2024
  804 signatures so far

• Require Plant-Based Food Options to be the Default in Public Institutions.
  Opened on Friday 20th December 2024
  79 signatures so far

• Reform the Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA) 1991: keep the public safe
  Opened on Friday 20th December 2024
  1,457 signatures so far

• Ban all Fox and Stag Hunting with Dogs - including Trail Hunting
  Opened on Thursday 12th December 2024
  1,211 signatures so far

• Introduce the mandatory neutering of cats by 6 months of age.
  Opened on Friday 6th December 2024
  1,940 signatures so far

• Ban the sale of caged birds.
  Opened on Monday 2nd December 2024
  163 signatures so far

• Ban the use of prong dog collars
  Opened on Friday 29th November 2024
  157 signatures so far

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