Over the last year we have taken significant action on nature recovery. In December 2025 we launched our revised environmental improvement plan to restore nature, move to a more circular economy and protect our environmental security. We know the scale of the challenge, and we are matching our ambition with action.
Today I am laying our annual progress report in delivering the EIP over the reporting period April 2025 to March 2026, as required by section 9 of the Environment Act 2021. This includes progress towards achieving Environment Act targets, and the latest evidence of changes in the natural environment.
We have progressed a broad and ambitious programme of reform, investment and delivery over the reporting period. This includes:
publication of the land use framework to transform decision making so that we use land more effectively
securing over £7 billion for nature recovery through the farming budget, the largest investment into nature in history.
setting a new vision for water and plan to reform our water sector and the wider water system through the water White Paper
quadrupling water company investment under “Price Review 2024”, to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas announcing a ban on wet wipes containing plastics
publication of the UK’s first ever perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances plan
committing £1.1 billion to improve local recycling services across England, enhancing waste management and community outcomes
publication of the good food cycle strategy and delivery of priority outcomes for healthier, more affordable, sustainable and resilient 21st-century UK food system
publication of the carbon budget growth delivery plan and methane action plan
announcing that at least £10.5 billion will be invested by March 2036 to construct new flood and coastal erosion schemes and repair existing defences
announcing investment of over £1 billion in the next stage of development of a new national biosecurity centre at Weybridge
announcing two new national forests, in addition to the Western forest
opening the King Charles III England coast path, the world’s longest managed coastal path, and delivering the first of nine new coastal paths, the Mersey valley way.
The revised EIP sets us on a clearer path to deliver Environment Act targets by setting ambitious yet achievable interim targets and publishing detailed delivery plans to drive progress. This will require sustained delivery at pace and scale over several years. The Government remain committed to delivering our environmental targets. We are making good progress in meeting the targets in some areas, while we face challenges in others. For several target areas, it is still too early to draw reliable trends on progress from the data, but we will continue to develop and improve environmental monitoring.
I wish to update the House on the decisive action that we are taking to secure the long-term future of Dartmoor’s iconic pony populations through a package of new protections and financial support.
Dartmoor’s pony populations and environmental land management schemes
Dartmoor’s heritage rare breeds and semi-wild ponies are a much-cherished part of Dartmoor’s landscape and cultural heritage. They also play an important role in conserving protected environmental sites, including sites of special scientific interest, on the moor. This Government are committed to ensuring that their numbers do not fall below current levels
From today, we are going beyond recommendation 27 of the Fursdon review of protected site management on Dartmoor in 2023 to delink ponies and cattle for the calculation of agri-environment scheme stocking rates. Dartmoor’s ponies will be completely removed from stocking rate calculations in new environmental land management agreements, so that farmers do not face a choice between keeping ponies and maintaining sheep or cattle. Pony numbers will also be monitored across the moor to ensure that they remain at least at current levels. As part of the overall grazing management approach on protected sites in Dartmoor, I have asked Natural England only to consider where existing populations of ponies graze, rather than their overall numbers.
New ELM agreements on Dartmoor will be negotiated on an individual basis, reflecting the needs of the sites they are managing. I want to make it clear, however—by affirming our commitment to maintaining current pony populations on Dartmoor—that if any reductions in the existing pony populations were to occur, this will not release any capacity to increase levels of sheep or cattle grazing on the moor agreed under ELM schemes.
I wish to update the House on the action this Government are taking to strengthen water company resilience to heatwaves and sustained hot weather.
The Met Office outlook for July to September 2026 indicates that a hotter than usual three-month period is more likely than normal. Higher temperatures can place significant pressure on water resources and infrastructure, increase customer demand, and heighten the risk of localised supply interruptions. It is therefore essential that water companies maintain robust plans to protect customers and sustain supplies during periods of severe and prolonged heat.
This year has already been challenging for water supplies. Some parts of the country have received lower than average rainfall this spring, such as the Anglian region where only 39% of expected rainfall fell. Combined with record spring temperatures, this has reduced reservoir and groundwater storage and river flows across a number of regions.
Alongside recent heatwaves, water companies have increased supply to meet rising demand. During the Met Office red heat warning, Thames Water supplied an additional 316 million litres of water per day compared with the previous year, while Anglian Water increased production by up to 30%, equivalent to supplying a county the size of Lincolnshire. Despite these pressures and some localised supply interruptions, the sector avoided widespread disruption and maintained supplies to the vast majority of customers.
On Thursday 2 July, I brought together the senior leadership of Water UK and those water companies most affected by the recent Met Office amber and red heat warnings to review the sector’s response to the recent period of extreme heat, assess preparedness for the remainder of the summer, and agree the actions necessary to strengthen resilience and protect customers during any future periods of sustained hot weather. The meeting examined lessons from recent heatwaves and the actions needed to reduce future risks to customers.
I am also laying the Government’s response to the Office for Environmental Protection annual assessment of progress for 2024 to 2025, well ahead of the statutory deadline in January 2027, to streamline the EIP reporting cycle and support the important role that the OEP plays in monitoring and reporting progress towards the EIP’s environmental targets. I have also laid a revised statement that explains the Government’s approach to monitoring, evaluating and reporting on the condition of the natural environment, in line with the requirements of section 16 of the Environment Act.
Together, these reports better enable external scrutiny and transparency of our progress and ensure that delivery planning is informed by monitoring and evaluation learning. The EIP is a long-term, whole-of-Government plan delivered in partnership across society. We are taking positive steps and strengthening our evidence base to support long-term environmental improvement. I am grateful to Parliament and stakeholders, including the Office for Environmental Protection, whose scrutiny helps to shape our approach.
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Dartmoor’s resident ponies will continue to remain exempt from being included in any seasonal livestock removal requirements in the shepherding actions within the sustainable farming incentive and the countryside stewardship higher tier—CSHT ELM—scheme offers.
We also intend to introduce a separate pony supplement into SFI and CSHT scheme offers to ensure that there is no economic incentive to reduce pony populations as a result of participating in DEFRA schemes and provide additional support to allow ponies to continue their vital conservation grazing role on the moor.
We will also review the native breed actions in these schemes to see whether the approach could enhance support for “at-risk” native breeds, working with interested parties.
Making a real change to the condition of protected sites on Dartmoor
Dartmoor is one of England’s most important and distinctive landscapes, home to internationally important habitats, wildlife and SSSIs, but large parts of Dartmoor are in long-term ecological decline. Achieving the right balance of grazing is essential to supporting both nature recovery and the long-term future of the moor’s farming communities.
There is broad agreement that grazing approaches on Dartmoor need to change to improve the condition of the valuable habitats found on Dartmoor. DEFRA remains committed to finding flexible and nuanced approaches to grazing on Dartmoor and to doing so through the work of the Dartmoor land use management group—DLUMG—set up following the Fursdon review.
The DLUMG is bringing together a land use framework for Dartmoor and undertaking trials to demonstrate what works to improve condition of its protected sites. Subject to agreement of a clear workplan for DLUMG work going forward, I have asked the group:
to help ensure that their trials complement projects under development on Dartmoor through landscape recovery. I want this work to help to build the evidence base, test adaptive grazing approaches and inform improvement of protected site management.
to develop a Dartmoor-wide management framework that allows for approval of a whole Dartmoor set of grazing principles for ponies, cattle and sheep. This framework will take time to develop but I see it as essential to enabling improvements to the environmental condition of the moor so that future generations can enjoy the wide diversity of species and habitats Dartmoor offers.
Agreeing proposals for ELM agreements on Dartmoor
Finally, I want to ensure that ongoing discussions around landscape recovery projects, new CS higher tier and continuing higher level stewardship agri-environment agreements on Dartmoor demonstrate an openness to flexible and adaptive approaches to grazing on the moor while we await the results of the DLUMG trials. With respect to ponies, these discussions will also be conducted fully in line with the principles set out above.
While we await results from the DLUMG trials, I have asked Natural England that any proposed changes to grazing on Dartmoor through ELM schemes should be approached sensitively. To support their negotiations, DEFRA will work closely with Natural England, with support from the DLUMG, to collectively agree:
short term grazing management on Dartmoor under ELM schemes;
any transitional approaches that might be required to bring existing stocking rate levels in expiring agreements to those required to support improvements in habitat condition under new CSHT agreements; and
the evidence used to support grazing management, working with Defra’s chief scientific adviser and her team.
Conclusion
I believe the approach I have set out here will help us ensure that collectively we are able to agree a balanced approach to help improve management of protected sites on Dartmoor, maintain pony populations and to support farmers and commoners who play a vital role on Dartmoor’s landscape.
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Temporary use bans are in place across a number of regions in response to high levels of demand. TUBs are currently in place for South East Water customers in Kent, Southern Water customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, South West Water customers in mid-Devon and parts of east Devon, and across the Anglian Water region. Cambridge Water and Affinity Water have also announced TUBs which will come into force shortly. Such measures can help manage demand and protect supplies during periods of sustained pressure.
Everyone has a role to play in using water wisely, particularly during periods of sustained hot weather. I expect water companies to provide customers with clear and timely information on the practical steps they can take to reduce the amount of water they use during periods of peak demand.
The Government will maintain close oversight of water sector resilience throughout the summer. My officials remain in regular contact with the sector, regulators and resilience partners to monitor demand, water resource availability, infrastructure resilience and incident preparedness. I expect all water companies to manage periods of exceptional demand, protect vulnerable customers and respond effectively to incidents. Where performance or preparedness falls short, I will not hesitate to take the action needed to minimise impacts on customers.
I welcome Ofwat’s announcement of a £30.5 million redress package for South East Water for failures that left thousands of households without water for days. The package was developed following a joined-up approach between water regulators, targeting the best possible action to address SEW’s failures. This is in line with the Government proposed water reforms, which will involve the new regulator taking a supervisory approach—enabling a broader and better understanding of company performance, earlier intervention and prevention of further decline. The package also includes requirements to produce a performance improvement plan, setting out how the company will deliver sustained improvement in its performance, and an independent monitor to support Ofwat to assess progress against the plan.
A reliable supply of clean water is fundamental to public health, economic growth and community resilience. Alongside immediate action to prepare for summer pressures, this Government are delivering the long-term reforms needed to build a stronger and more resilient water sector.
Through our programme of water reform, we are strengthening regulation and accountability while ensuring companies deliver the investment needed to improve infrastructure and resilience. We will create a single, powerful regulator, giving Government and regulators, for the first time, a clear system-wide view of company performance and stronger tools to intervene where companies fall short. We will also introduce a water ombudsman, ensuring that customers have a stronger voice and clearer routes to redress when things go wrong.
This builds on the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, which introduced the toughest sentencing powers ever applied to lawbreaking water company executives and powers to ban unjustified executive bonuses. Together, these reforms will strengthen accountability and help restore public confidence in the water sector.
We will also introduce statutory resilience standards, improve asset mapping and strengthen oversight of critical infrastructure to help water companies prepare for climate change and more frequent periods of extreme heat.