Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Commons select committee, since 16 July 2001. Its page on the Parliament website.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) scrutinises the work of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It looks at issues from farming to the water sector to a circular economy. View the full list of the committee’s strategic priorities.

Inquiries

• Land use and nature (18 March 2026)
• Climate adaptation and emergency response (9 September 2025)
• Preventing waste and enabling a circular economy (20 May 2025)
• Fisheries and the marine environment (23 January 2025)
• Biosecurity and animal welfare (9 January 2025)
• Food supply chain resilience and fairness (20 December 2024)
• Reforming the water sector (19 December 2024)
• The future of farming (6 December 2024)
• Work of the Department and its arm’s-length bodies (6 November 2024)
• Flooding (31 January 2024 to 23 May 2024)
• Vet shortages (17 January 2024 to 23 May 2024)
• Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors (14 September 2023 to 23 May 2024)
• Urban Green Spaces (14 September 2023 to 23 May 2024)
• Thames Water (4 July 2023 to 23 May 2024)
• UK trade policy: food and agriculture (7 June 2023 to 23 May 2024)
• Tenant Farmers (24 May 2023 to 9 November 2023)
• Fairness in the food supply chain (9 May 2023 to 23 May 2024)
• Resources and Waste provisional Common Framework (23 March 2023 to 9 November 2023)
• Work of the Environment Agency (20 February 2023 to 4 August 2023)
• Pet welfare and abuse (3 February 2023 to 23 May 2024)
• Fisheries Negotiations (10 January 2023 to 23 May 2024)
• Soil Health (7 December 2022 to 23 May 2024)
• Avian Influenza (10 November 2022 to 1 June 2023)
• Species Reintroduction (3 November 2022 to 8 November 2023)
• Sealife Mortality off the North East Coast (11 October 2022 to 9 November 2023)
• Food Security (25 July 2022 to 17 November 2023)
• Environmental Land Management Scheme: Progress Update (18 July 2022 to 4 August 2023)
• Pre-appointment hearing: Chair of the Environment Agency (27 June 2022 to 26 January 2023)
• Marine Mammals (21 April 2022 to 8 November 2023)
• Global Environmental Facility (21 April 2022 to 9 November 2022)
• UK Seafood Fund (12 April 2022 to 9 November 2022)
• Pre-appointment Hearing: Chair of Ofwat (5 April 2022 to 22 November 2023)
• DEFRA Common frameworks (9 March 2022 to 21 October 2022)
• Joint Fisheries Statement (23 February 2022 to 1 November 2022)
• Import check readiness (24 January 2022 to 1 November 2022)
• Fisheries negotiation outcome (17 January 2022 to 1 November 2022)
• Work of Defra (10 January 2022 to 23 May 2024)
• Farming rules for water (24 November 2021 to 1 November 2022)
• Rural mental health (16 November 2021 to 9 November 2023)
• Australia FTA: Food and Agriculture (9 November 2021 to 9 November 2022)
• Labour shortages in the food and farming sector (15 September 2021 to 20 July 2022)
• National Food Strategy (8 September 2021 to 1 November 2022)
• Plastic waste (7 July 2021 to 4 August 2023)
• Animals Abroad Bill (30 June 2021 to 19 July 2022)
• Air Quality: follow up (28 June 2021 to 24 November 2021)
• Work of the Interim Office for Environmental Protection (28 June 2021 to 28 November 2022)
• Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill (27 May 2021 to 20 July 2022)
• Trade and Agriculture Commission (26 March 2021 to 1 November 2022)
• Seafood and Meat Exports to the EU (27 January 2021 to 24 November 2021)
• COVID-19 and food supply: follow up (14 January 2021 to 25 November 2021)
• Moving animals across borders (13 January 2021 to 26 January 2022)
• Work of the Environment Agency (11 January 2021 to 23 May 2022)
• Environmental Land Management and the agricultural transition (4 December 2020 to 18 March 2022)
• Pre-appointment hearing for the Chair-Designate of the Office for Environmental Protection (3 December 2020 to 28 July 2022)
• Common Framework on Food and Feed Safety and Hygiene (11 November 2020 to 22 December 2020)
• Pet Smuggling (27 October 2020 to 24 November 2021)
• UK-Norway Framework Fisheries Agreement (20 October 2020 to 11 November 2020)
• Tree Planting and Woodlands (1 October 2020 to 20 July 2022)
• Government support to the dairy sector during the COVID-19 pandemic (1 July 2020 to 22 October 2020)
• Public Sector Procurement of Food (18 June 2020 to 24 November 2021)

Organisations it has heard from most

• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (61)
• National Farmers' Union (14)
• British Veterinary Association (11)
• Environment Agency (11)
• Food and Drink Federation (8)
• Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) (7)
• British Retail Consortium (7)
• Natural England (7)
• Country Land and Business Association (CLA) (6)
• Ofwat (5)
• Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) (4)
• Animal and Plant Health Agency (4)
• British Meat Processors Association (4)
• British Poultry Council (4)
• National Pig Association (4)