Concern over Defra's future

Defra is refusing to comment on growing speculation about its future ahead of an autumn review of Government spending that is expected to remove further big chunks removed from its budget.

The Liberal Democrats’ Defra spokesman has urged the Government not to ’disband’ the Department, as the Treasury considers how to make ends meet ahead of its autumn spending review.

Concern over Defra’s future surfaced again at the Liberal Democrat party conference, as Baroness Kate Parminter stressed the importance of retaining the Department to ‘champion farming and the environment together’.

Most departments, including Defra, have been asked to find savings of up to 40 per cent as Chancellor George Osborne seeks savings of £20 billion by 2020 to reduce the huge Government spending deficit.

For Defra, which has seen its budget cut from £3bn to just more than £2bn since 2010/11, this has raised serious questions about its future viability.

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