Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Latest from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

What we do

We are responsible for improving and protecting the environment. We aim to grow a green economy and sustain thriving rural communities. We also support our world-leading food, farming and fishing industries.

Defra is a ministerial department, supported by 34 agencies and public bodies.

Read more about what we do

Documents

News and communications

See all news and communications

Our ministers

Our management

Paul Kissack
Permanent Secretary
Sally Randall
Director General for Environment
Sarah Homer
Director General for Delivery and Group Chief Operating Officer
Emily Miles
Director General for Food, Biosecurity and Trade
David Hill
Director General for Strategy and Water
Professor Anjali Goswami
Director General for Science, Data and Analysis, Defra Chief Scientific Adviser
Professor Christine Middlemiss CB
UK Chief Veterinary Officer
Iain King
Chief Financial Officer
Heather Hancock
Lead non-executive board member
Nick Folland
Non-executive board member
Indro Mukerjee
Non-executive board member
Sachin Jogia
Non-executive board member
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE
Non-executive board member
Dan Corry
Non-executive board member

Special representatives

Ruth Davis OBE
UK Special Representative for Nature

Contact Defra

Defra Helpline

Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
United Kingdom

Telephone (UK only)

03459 33 55 77

Telephone (from outside the UK)

+44 20 7238 6951

The quickest way to get a response is to call our Helpline which is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm (find out about call charges at www.gov.uk/call-charges), alternatively you can email us.

We aim to respond to queries within 20 working days, however due to the current volumes of correspondence we are receiving there could be a significant delay.

Defra Rural Services helpline

Telephone

03000 200 301

Contact the Defra Rural Services helpline for farming-related advice.
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm.
You should also call us 24/7 to report suspicion of notifiable disease in animals.
Find out about call charges at www.gov.uk/call-charges.

Pet Travel helpline

Pet Travel Section
Eden Bridge House
Lowther Street
Carlisle
CA3 8DX
United Kingdom

Pet Travel helpline

03000 200 301

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm (closed on bank holidays).
Find out about call charges at www.gov.uk/call-charges.

Report fraud to Defra

How to report fraud, bribery and corruption against Defra.

Make an FOI request

  1. Read about the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and how to make a request.
  2. Check our previous releases to see if we’ve already answered your question.
  3. Make a new request by contacting us using the details below.

Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) requests

Information Rights Team (IRT)
Seacole Building
4th Floor
2 Marsham Street

London
SW1P 4DF
United Kingdom

High profile groups within Defra