DEFRA

Defra’s current proposal is restricted to “rinse-off” products, an ambiguous term which has caused confusion among industry and campaigners alike. But these findings suggest that products containing microplastics will continue to enter the ocean if the government excludes them from the microbeads ban.

We are very pleased to welcome the launch of this consultation, and we look forward to working with the Government to ensure that these tiny harmful plastics no longer reach our oceans.

However, it must cover all microplastics as marine life doesn’t distinguish between plastic from a face wash and plastic from a washing detergent, so the microbeads ban must cover all plastics in all household and industrial products that can go down our drains.

Following a recent judicial review which saw Greenpeace challenge the UK Government over its distribution of fishing quota, Mrs Justice Andrews DBE has ruled in the Government’s favour.

Responding to the verdict, Greenpeace UK’s Head of Oceans, Will McCallum, said:

‘Low-impact fishing boats are the lifeblood of the UK’s fishing industry. They make up the vast majority of our fleet – but the Government’s only giving them the crumbs off the table. That’s why we launched this legal challenge.

Greenpeace is arguing that the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has failed to implement Article 17 of the EU’s reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which emphasises transparency and environmental, social and economic criteria in the allocation of fishing quota.

In April, during Greenpeace and NUTFA’s “Coastal Champions” boat tour promoting local fishing, which stopped in 25 coastal communities around England and Wales, George Eustice joined 120 then-parliamentary candidates in signing up to an action plan which called on the Government to reallocate fishing quota from large industrial vessels to local, low-impact, boats in order to create jobs in

The decision by the Information Commissioner Officer was made public today, just a week before Lancashire authorities are due to give a much anticipated verdict on two fracking applications by energy firm Cuadrilla.

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs published a version of the report last year after coming under pressure from campaigners. But the document released to the public had 63 chunks of text missing, including on such sensitive issues as the impact of fracking on house prices, rural businesses, and local services. [1]