The Government must not neglect maintenance of flood defences and watercourses if homes, businesses and farmland are to gain better protection against future flooding risk, the EFRA Committee warns in this report of an inquiry triggered by the recent winter floods. The Committee calls for fully funded plans to address the current backlog of dredging and watercourse maintenance as well as to maintain the growing numbers of man-made flood defences. The devolution of maintenance activity to internal drainage boards and to local landowners, wherever possible, is supported. The Committee also urges the Government to address the confusion over maintenance responsibilities through a widespread education campaign. It is essential that Environment Agency funding cuts do not lead to unintended consequences where funding is redirected to one operational area to the detriment of another. The report also calls for a reassurance from Defra that frontline flood jobs at the Environment Agency will not be cut. The Committee identifies the current split between capital and revenue budgets as a major barrier to targeting funding according to local priorities, and can see no reason why the Government cannot move to a total expenditure approach for flood funding to allow more flexibility to spend in the most effective way.

The UK is currently 68% self-sufficient in foods which can be produced at home, but this key indicator has declined steadily over the past 20 years, from 87%. The report says the biggest long-term challenge to food production systems is the impact of extreme weather events resulting from climate change. The Committee supports the idea of 'sustainable intensification' - producing more food with fewer resources - and calls on Defra to stem decline in UK self-sufficiency and deliver more resilience in the UK food system. It notes that for key cereal crops, for example wheat, yield levels have not increased for over 15 years. Other recommendations include: supermarkets to shorten supply chains to reduce threats of disruption; UK farmers to extend seasonal production of fresh fruit and vegetables in coordination with the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board, and local and central Government; Government to reduce dependence on imported soybean for animal feed, as increased demand for protein from emerging economies threatens current supply lines; and Government to produce a detailed emissions reduction plan for the UK agricultural sector. The Committee welcomes the Government's new £160 million AgriTech Strategy to translate technological ideas into farm practice but warns that current funding levels are insufficient. The Government must also lead a public debate to counter food safety fears among consumers about GM foods and ensure a more evidence-based approach to EU licensing of GM crops. New farmers are needed in the sector, to ensure that farming has a future in the UK.

Access to broadband can be an unexpectedly emotive and complex subject. Written evidence the Committee has received explains how poor broadband can lead to a range of problems: from reduced access to online learning resources for students, to families being unable to use everyday online services such as BBC iPlayer and rural businesses being powerless to function in an increasingly online marketplace. Overall, poor broadband can produce a feeling of a two-tier society with the ’have and have nots'. This feeling is most apparent in rural communities which by their geographical nature are often the hardest for the infrastructure to reach.The move to an online-only Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) system for payments this year provides a clear example of how online-only services often need to be accessed by those located in geographical areas which are difficult for current broadband infrastructure to reach or for good coverage and speed to be provided. CAP payments offer a prime example of the wider Government policy to make services ’digital-by-default'. This policy has clear ramifications when broadband access is limited or non-existent.

The myriad choices millions of people make every day over what food to buy and from where to buy it shape the nation's food production and supply systems. It is essential to harness these decisions to support the public policy goal of enabling all to access healthy and affordable food. Both supply and demand issues must be managed if a growing world population is to be fed at a time when environmental impacts, including those of climate change, are constraining food production. In this report the Committee make recommendations on managing consumer demand, such as by encouraging the purchase of sustainably sourced products or the most nutritious food in order to help to deliver environmental and health goals.

The Government must act to increase recycling rates across England by 2020. It also needs to be ensured that only genuinely residual waste is sent to energy-from-waste plants and to do more to encourage the use of heat outputs from such facilities to improve the overall energy efficiency of this waste management method. Defra 'stepped back' from waste management at a time when we need both a more ambitious approach to waste management and stronger Government leadership to drive up static recycling rates in England and make better use of energy recovery options such as local heating for homes. Ministers must now show that waste policy remains an important priority. On a household level there is too much confusion about what can or can't be recycled - and very little confidence in the process. Communication must improve and be tailored to local circumstances by local authorities, but Defra should provide support at a national level - particularly in relation to common issues and problems. The Committee calls for clear guidance from Defra on how much waste treatment capacity is needed in England to gain an optimal balance between the export of refuse-derived fuel and local treatment. MPs support the use of anaerobic digestion for processing waste, but not for use with purpose-grown crops. More work is also needed to address the issues surrounding separate food waste collections. MPs also call on the Government take action to curb the frequent occurrence of fires at waste management sites

Worldwide pressure on milk prices has resulted from a combination of rising supply and falling demand, partly because of reduced demand from China and a Russian trade ban with the EU. Rapid and wide fluctuations in milk price bring pressure to bear on the UK dairy industry, and farmers have been leaving it in significant numbers in recent years. While there is no single solution to the problems created by these rapid changes in milk prices, it is incumbent on the Government, and Defra in particular, to promote UK dairy produce domestically and in growing export markets. Action to encourage the spread of Producer Organisations, a review of the EU intervention price for milk and clearer regulation on the labelling of dairy products could all assist a struggling industry. The voluntary code of best practice in the dairy industry, introduced after similar price difficulties in 2012, has been adopted by about 85 per cent of dairy producers and welcomed in improving matters as far as it goes. Closer attention is required, however, to the sharpness and frequency of price changes in the dairy market, which affect investment and financial planning. The Groceries Code Adjudicator's role, concerning the relationship between direct suppliers and major retailers, is too restricted to be of assistance to the vast majority of dairy producers, as they are indirect suppliers.

The Department's total expenditure for 2013-14 was £6.252 billion, taking into account both its activities funded directly by Parliament and grants made following the receipt of money from the European Union, predominantly to fund agricultural subsidies and rural development schemes. The Government budget allocated to and spent by Defra is known as the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) and it is set at Spending Reviews. The Department has underspent its central Government funding allocation each year since the 2010 Spending Review. In 2013-4, Defra spent £2,433 million of its DEL to meet its strategic objectives which resulted in a £61 million (2 per cent) underspend compared to its budget. The Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2013-4 state that the £50 million underspend against resource DEL was due to the following factors: (a) £30 million was not spent as the UK Government challenged EU disallowance penalties on 2010 and 2011 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) scheme expenditure; and; (b) £20 million was intentional underspend following approval from HM Treasury to carry the funding into 2014-15 to spend on flood prevention

This book studies governance capacity and governance legitimacy for societal security and crisis management. It highlights the importance of building organizational capacity by focusing on the coordination of public resources and underscores the relevance of legitimacy by emphasizing the importance of public perceptions, attitudes, and trust vis-à-vis government arrangements for crisis management. The authors explore several cases and identify relevant dimensions concerning performance, capacity and legitimacy across different countries. It is an ideal volume for audiences interested in public administration, public policy, crisis management and security studies.