DEFRA Budget Cuts

In its annual report on the performance of DEFRA, Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) has said the Department could stuggle to deliver on all its policies due to budget cuts.  According to the Committee, DEFRA has faced some of the largest funding reductions since the Spending Review in 2010.  The Department is one of the smallest in government; in 2012/13 it spent £2.5bn but it has seen its budget cut by £500m since 2010 and faces a further reduction of £300m up to 2015/16.  EFRA has questioned whether DEFRA will be able to cope with CAP reform, bovineTB and other environmental pressures such as flooding problems in the future.  It has asked for clarification on the areas which will receive substantial budget cuts over the next couple of years.