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The Latest Breaking News from Defra

How to cut harmful emissions from ditches and canals – new research

Ditches and canals are the underdog of the freshwater world. These human-made waterways are often forgotten, devalued and perceived negatively – think “dull as ditchwater”. But these unsung heroes have a hidden potential for climate change mitigation, if they’re managed correctly.

The Conversation

UK veterinary sector reforms planned to tackle high costs of pet care

Proposals would require clearer pricing and transparency as CMA finds fees have risen at nearly twice rate of inflation

The Guardian - UK

Octopus numbers exploded around the UK’s south-west coast in 2025 – a new report explores this rare phenomenon

Cold spray whipped off the ropes as a diesel engine throbbed in the background. One by one, empty shellfish pots came over the side of the fishing boat, occasionally containing the remnants of crab and lobster claws and carapaces. Something strange was going on.

The Conversation

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read the most diverse news in one place.

11 best log burners for heating rooms of all sizes, tried and tested

Invest in an efficient stove that will keep you warm

The Independent UK

UK national security threatened by biodiversity loss, intelligence chiefs warn

Without “major intervention” the UK risks increasing geopolitical instability, economic insecurity, conflict and migration.

Euronews

Are woodburning stoves going to be banned in the UK? This is what the experts told me about the rumours

This is what the experts told me about the rumours

Ideal Home

Starmer warned of rural backlash as hunt crackdown looms

The Countryside Alliance pressure group contends the Government has "alienated rural people"

The Independent UK

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Crayfish, weevils and fungi released in UK to tackle invasive species such as Japanese knotweed

Scientists working for government breed biological control agents in lab to take on species choking native wildlife

The Guardian - UK

Nature recovery plan in England hit by clause allowing contracts to end with a year’s notice

Conservationists say changes, coupled with underfunding, will curb take-up and leave less land protected for nature

The Guardian - UK

Tunbridge Wells water cut likely to last after treatment problem reoccurs

Thousands of homes, schools and businesses expected to be without supply for at least another day

The Guardian - UK

UK and Europe’s hidden landfills at risk of leaking toxic waste into water supplies

Exclusive: Rising flood risks driven by climate change could release toxic waste from ageing sites – posing threats to ecosystems

The Guardian - UK

Wood-burning stoves face stricter rules under Labour plan to tackle air pollution

Defra officials say standards could be tightened for new stoves to lower emissions

The Independent UK

UK to block imports of pork from Spain due to outbreak of swine fever

Pork products are to be held at border control posts after Spain recorded cases of ASF in the Catalunya

The Independent UK

Ministers to crack down on ‘for-profit’ litter enforcers in England

Councils will end contracts allowing private enforcers to receive 50% to 100% of each fine served

The Guardian - UK

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The Conversation

Why hosting the UN climate summit in the Amazon was so important, despite the disappointing outcome

Extreme heat, fires and flooding – all hallmark consequences of climate change – directly influenced this year’s UN climate change conference Cop30 in Belém, Brazil.

The Conversation

Ukraine’s farms once fed billions but now its soil is starving

For decades, Ukraine was known as the breadbasket of the world. Before the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, it ranked among the top global producers and exporters of sunflower oil, maize and wheat. These helped feed more than 400 million people worldwide.

Windows Central

UK gov’t spends £312M upgrading to Windows 10 — the OS Microsoft just buried, instead of Windows 11

A new report includes details of spending totalling hundreds of millions of GBP to upgrade the UK's Defra department to Windows 10 PCs. The problem? Microsoft has ended official support for the OS.

The Guardian - UK

Developers met ministers dozens of times over planning bill while ecologists were shut out

Exclusive: Leading ecologists say warnings over threat to wildlife have been ignored in drive to build 1.5m new homes

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news in one place.

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TechRadar

A UK government department spent hundreds of millions upgrading its systems to Windows 10 - just in time for its official end of life

Defra spent hundreds of millions upgrading to Windows 10, yet large portions of its ageing estate remain outdated and require rapid modernization.

The Conversation

A landfill tax could halt the vast amounts of healthy soil that are needlessly thrown away

UK government proposals to increase the cost of sending soil to landfill have received strong pushback from the construction industry. But there is a strong environmental case for protecting healthy soils in this way.

The Guardian - UK

Toxin levels in fish lead to calls for UK-wide ban on mercury dental fillings

Exclusive: More than 98% of fish and mussels tested in English waters contain mercury above EU safety limits

Evening Standard

Regulators failing to tackle fly-tipping by organised crime groups, peers say

A House of Lords committee called for a root and branch review of serious and organised waste crime.

Ideal Home

I’ve navigated log burner building regulations myself — this is what all homeowners need to make sure they know to obtain the necessary consent

It's crucial you get it right

The Independent UK

Defra identifies five key plant types to help make gardens ‘flood-ready’

IN FULL

The Independent UK

England sees second worst harvest on record, analysis shows

Provisional Government data suggests a much worse harvest than experts had so far predicted.

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