15 Apr 2025

Image description: Fishing boats docked in a harbour in Scarborough   A new study has issued a stark warning that the UK is at serious risk of losing the wide-reaching benefits of its sustainable fisheries unless urgent action is taken. The paper, Recognising and Protecting the National Benefit of Sustainable Fisheries in the UK, highlights […]

03 Apr 2025

It has been more than four years since the UK set up its own chemicals regulatory regime post-Brexit, however senior campaigner at Chem Trust Chloe Alexander notes that the UK has failed to restrict a single substance since it departed from the European Union (EU). In fact, despite more than four years of regulatory analysis […]

25 Feb 2025

The dispute over sandeel fishing in the North Sea marks the first time the UK and EU have been to court since Brexit in 2020. The outcome of the case could be hugely significant for seabird populations along the east coast and for UK-EU trade relations. A tribunal under the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) […]

13 Feb 2025

Five years after Brexit, this Green Alliance podcast reflects on its impact on environmental protection. This episode explores the fate of environmental laws inherited from the EU and the new systems put in place to watch over them.   Photo credit: MC G’Zay   Ruth Chambers, Green Alliance senior fellow, is joined by Professor Maria […]

11 Dec 2024

An investigation by the Guardian suggests EU countries will share laboratory capacity but UK rules mean products cannot be tested abroad. It claims that the safety of tap water in the UK could be at risk because water companies are unable to use products to clean it, industry insiders have said, as all the laboratories […]

25 Sep 2024

Analysis by the Pesticides Action Network has revealed that the Conservative government attacked pesticide residue safety limits on a range of common GB food items including blackberries, grapes, onions and potatoes. Between 2022 and 2024, safety limits were weakened for 115 types of produce. While most of the food types affected are fruit and vegetables, […]

14 May 2024

Deeply concerning’ failures to properly implement regulations designed to protect rivers, lakes and coastal waters in England mean key targets for improvement will be missed, a report by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found. As part of its role to monitor how environmental laws are working in practice the OEP has carried out […]

14 May 2024

Investigation in The Guardian The National Farmers’ Union lobbied to increase the amount of pesticides allowed in the UK’s drinking water and to allow farmers to spread manure more frequently as part of a post-Brexit loosening of environmental regulations, it can be revealed. Nick von Westenholz, the director of strategy for the lobby group, met […]