Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department overview
Formed	2001; 23 years ago (2001)
Preceding agencies	Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Jurisdiction	Government of the United Kingdom
Headquarters	2 Marsham Street, London
Annual budget	£2.2 billion (current) & £400 million (capital) for 2011-12[1]
Secretary of State responsible	The Rt Hon. Steve Barclay MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department executive	Tamara Finkelstein, Permanent Secretary
Child agencies	Animal and Plant Health Agency Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Rural Payments Agency Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Website	defra.gov.uk

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the entire United Kingdom. Concordats set out agreed frameworks for co operation, between it and the Scottish Government,^[2] Welsh Government^[3] and Northern Ireland Executive,^[4] which have devolved responsibilities for these matters in their respective nations.

Defra also leads for the United Kingdom on agricultural, fisheries and environmental matters in international negotiations on sustainable development and climate change, although a new Department of Energy and Climate Change was created on 3 October 2008 to take over the last responsibility; later transferred to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy following Theresa May's appointment as Prime Minister in July 2016.