Policy paper

23 June 2025: Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (IMG EFRA) Communiqué

Updated 3 September 2025

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The Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (IMG EFRA) met on Monday 23 June by video conference. 

The meeting was chaired by Jim Fairlie MSP, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity.  

The attending ministers were: 

  • (from the UK government) Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Baroness Hayman, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Mary Creagh MP, Minister for Nature, and Daniel Zeichner MP, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs 

  • (from the Scottish Government) Mairi Gougeon MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Gillian Martin MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, and Jim Fairlie MSP, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity 

  • (from the Welsh Government) Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs 

  • (from the Northern Ireland Executive) Andrew Muir MLA, Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA, Minister for the Economy 

The meeting opened with an acknowledgement of the forum’s importance for intergovernmental relations and the need to re-establish a regular rhythm of meetings. 

The Group then held the second deep dive of the year, focusing on the circular economy. Ministers agreed that the transition to a circular economy offers shared economic, environmental and social benefits. The discussion highlighted several key priorities for all four governments:  

  • enhancing opportunities for evidence-sharing and wider collaboration 

  • prioritising key sectors and products to tackle environmental impact and make supply chains more resilient 

  • leveraging reserved and devolved powers to unlock more opportunities across all four nations 

To support these goals, ministers agreed that officials from across the four governments should work collaboratively on priority areas and report back on progress at a future meeting. 

Next, ministers discussed the importance of biosecurity in light of the increasing animal disease threats. They reflected on the recent National Audit Office report on resilience to animal diseases in England and agreed that officials should consider any relevant learning and continue to collaborate on improving resilience across the UK. 

The Group then discussed the outcomes of the UK-EU summit on 19 May and the critical importance of involving devolved governments in the forthcoming negotiations and implementation of a UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement. Ministers welcomed the prospect of removing barriers to trade and emphasised the importance of maintaining biosecurity in the period of transition. The discussions then covered the value of bovine electronic identification for farm safety and livestock traceability and recognised respective technology choices across the nations. On fisheries, devolved government ministers set out that respective shares of the UK ‘Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund’ should be devolved to, and administered by, the devolved governments. Ministers agreed on the importance of engagement at official and ministerial level across all impacted sectors.   

The final substantive item focused on the significant role of Common Frameworks in cross-nation governance. Ministers noted that the completion of these frameworks is dependent on the outcomes of the UK government’s ongoing statutory review of the Internal Market Act. 

Other business included the next stage in the process for the geographical indication application for English single malt whisky, the potential ban on the use of horticultural peat and a revised work programme for the IMG.  

The next meeting is scheduled for September 2025.

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