United Kingdom: Environment

The UK government has proposed significant changes to its post-Brexit chemical regulation system through an Alternative Transitional Registration Model (ATRm) for UK REACH. Following industry concerns about the substantial costs of re-registering approximately 20,000 substances already registered under EU REACH, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has launched a technical consultation on amendments that would reduce hazard information requirements while maintaining use and exposure standa

Peter Harker, head of Natural Capital at Saffery, discusses how landowners are navigating the transition from traditional farming subsidies to ecosystem service payments, exploring the opportunities and challenges of biodiversity net gain schemes, carbon credits, and environmental commitments that can span generations. The conversation examines whether natural capital represents a genuine strategic opportunity or simply a replacement income stream...

The Environment Agency has launched a consultation on significant reforms to its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy, introducing new civil penalty frameworks and automatic financial penalties for water companies under the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025. The proposed changes expand enforcement mechanisms across multiple sectors including waste management, packaging regimes, and mercury controls, while establishing a fundamentally different regulatory approach for water sector operators that allows penalties