Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs

Welcome to Defra

Our vision is to create a great place for people living in this country.

In the Defra group, we deal with a vast range of issues that profoundly impact on people’s lives.

We are responsible for England’s environment, our countryside and rural economy, the food and farming sectors and have lead responsibility for protection from a wide range of natural threats and hazards.

We have developed a set of three strategic objectives covering our policy out comes and corporate objectives. These objectives help us to deliver our ambitious vision to build our green and healthy future and provide a framework for all of the important work we carry out.

These objectives help us to deliver our ambitious vision to build our green and healthy future and provide a framework for all of the important work we carry out.

Our objectives are:

• To pass on to the next generation a natural environment protected and enhanced for the future
• To lead the world in food, farming and fisheries with a sustainable model of food production
• To be an outstanding organisation focused on making a difference, with world class delivery capability

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We passionately believe in equality, diversity & inclusion and we match that belief with action.

Defra is committed to being an organisation in which fairness and inclusion are central to all our working relationships.

At Defra we want you to have a respectful, welcoming and engaging working environment, free from discrimination regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, social background, trade union activity, caring responsibilities or working pattern. We encourage applications from neurodiverse people and believe it is only through having a mix of ideas and ways of thinking that we will be able to have a culture which produces high quality work.

We have many active staff networks including Age, Mental health, Cancer, Carers, Disability, EU nationals, Ethnic Minority, Faith, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Asexual and Transgender (LGBAT+), Social Mobility, Women and Work-life Balance. They are supported by senior champions and encouraged to take an active part in the development of our organisation.

We offer career development through a range of both internal and Civil Service wide talent schemes, mentoring, sponsorship and reverse mentoring. Our senior leaders talk authentically and with passion about what they are doing personally to support equality, diversity and inclusion. We promote and support a range of flexible working patterns to enable staff to balance home and work responsibilities, and we treat people fairly irrespective of their working arrangements. The inclusion of all of our employees is very important. We want everyone who works at Defra to feel they belong here, and we recognise that everyone will come to us from different backgrounds and with a range of different experiences.

We will not tolerate discrimination, bullying, harassment, victimisation or negative stereotyping. Our aim is a working environment where you feel you belong and have a voice, whatever your job or your grade. You can read more in our Diversity & Inclusion strategy. As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments wherever possible to ensure that disabled people can participate fully not only in the recruitment and selection process but when they are appointed into their job. We offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for all disabled applicants who provide evidence of meeting the minimum requirements necessary for the post, asset out in this applicant pack.

Please get in touch with us at any stage of the recruitment process to discuss how we can help you whether you have a physical impairment, a mental health condition or are neurodiverse. Once you are appointed your line manager will work with you to identify how they can put in place reasonable adjustments to enable you to carry out your work.