May 23, 2013

DEFRA to reduce red-tape and save UK farms and agribusinesses £1 billion

According to DEFRA secretary Owen Paterson, British farmers could save over £1 billion (US$1.51 billion) over 10 years by reducing and improving the mass of guidance accompanying environmental regulations.

DEFRA is asking UK farms and agricultural businesses how guidance and information requirements can be made easier and how they can be improved across a number of areas, including land management, environmental permits, waste control and wildlife protection.

Paterson believes that, by making it easier and cheaper for rural businesses to comply with regulations, it would not only reduce the time spent by businesses complying with regulations by 80%, but would also save the UK economy over £1 billion over the next decade.

However, Defra has insisted that the standards of environmental regulations will not be hindered by the initiative.

"The same protections levels will stay. We want to make it easier for businesses to find and follow the law with a single version of straightforward guidance for each topic," said Paterson.

"Right now, businesses are wading through too much complex information. We should also be smart about the information we ask from businesses and how we collect it."

Mr Paterson stated that DEFRA is planning to publish draft pieces of guidance and will ask rural businesses for comments and how future regulations and can be turned into something more manageable.