The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture and various other rural industries, such as fisheries. The department was created in 2001 after the failure of its predecessor, the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) to deal with an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease.
Ministers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as of 21 August 2003
- Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP
- Minister of State (Rural Affairs and Local Environmental Quality) - Rt Hon Alun Michael MP
- Minister of State (Environment and Agri-Environment) - Elliot Morley MP
- Parliamentary Secretary (Farming, Food and Sustainable Energy) - Lord Whitty
- Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries) - Ben Bradshaw MP
- Central Science Laboratory headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Farming, Food and Sustainable Energy)
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science - headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Forest Enterprise (England) headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Forest Enterprise (Scotland) headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Forest Enterprise (Wales) headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Forestry Research headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Pesticides Safety Directorate headed by the Minister of State (Rural Affairs and Local Environmental Quality)
- Rural Payments Agency headed by the Minister of State (Rural Affairs and Local Environmental Quality)
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
- Veterinary Medicines Directorate headed by the Parliamentary Secretary (Nature Conservation and Fisheries)
