Badgers, Bees and Ash trees: how science informs policy decisions in government or: Working for a Government Chief Scientific Adviser – the role of science in policy making

 Evidence = science, economics, social and operational research, veterinary sciences, engineering, statistics, geography etc.  Policies are informed by evidence  Defra Network spends over £230m p.a. on evidence (core Defra spends around £160m p.a.)

 Defra has three lab agencies:  Fera (Food and Environment Research Agency),  AHVLA (Animal Health Veterinary Laboratory Agency),  Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science)  Also scientists at Kew, EA, NE, MMO, JNCC, FR/FC  Over 3000 specialists

 provides Ministerial advice on evidence base to support policy decisions  ensures quality and fit-for-purpose science  raises the profile of Defra science and manage interface with the public  is a member of the Defra Supervisory Board  supported by Heads of Profession

 Responsible for:  providing expert independent advice and challenge to the Chief Scientific Adviser and ministers  helping to guide Defra’s scientific priorities and planning, including long-range planning as well as dealing with immediate risks and opportunities

 Defra’s four priorities are:  Growing the rural economy  Improving the environment  Safeguarding animal health  Safeguarding plant health  Running through all of these is the priority of economic growth as the Government's top priority.

Animal WelfareAquatic Animal HealthBovine TB Disease Mitigation and ControlEndemic diseasesExotic Diseases Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Veterinary Medicine and Anti-Microbial Resistance Climate Change Mitigation for Agriculture and the Food Chain CropsEU Agriculture and Budget StrategyFarming Elements inc. GM Policy LivestockPlant Health, Bee Health, Plant Varieties and Seeds Sustainable, Secure and Healthy Food Supply Adapting to Climate ChangeAir QualityBetter Regulation BiodiversityChemicals & NanotechnologiesFloods Inland Waterways, Landscape and Outdoor Recreation MarineNatural Value NoisePesticidesRural Communities Rural Development Programme for EnglandSoil ProtectionWaste and Resources Water Availability and Quality and Drinking Water Inspectorate Sustainable Consumption and ProductionSustainable Development Strategic Evidence

 Budget  Policy context  Evidence needs  Key partners fra-s-evidence-investment-strategy-2010-to and-beyond-2011-update

 Landscape, Rural, Crops  Farming, Land and Soils  Floods, Water Availability and Quality  Food policy, Chemicals and Emerging Technologies, GM  Air Quality, Noise, Waste  Marine  EU and Better Regulation  Animal Health, Plant Health  Animal Welfare, TB

 Science  Engineering  Social Research  Economics  Statistics  Operational Research  Etc….

 Supporting the CSA, SAC and Director of Analysis  Preparing evidence strategy  Setting quality standards, embedding procurement rules  Strategic partnership (EU funding)  Geography and Earth Observations  Responding to PQs and FoI requests  Overseeing evidence budgets  Looking after Defra’s specialists

CSA SAC Corporate evidence team Policy teams manage evidence to meet their policy needs CSA, SAC and Corporate Evidence Team supports evidence processes, ensures QA Policy DG

 Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution  Volcanic Ash  Winter chill  Chalara inc. tree health  Bees  Badgers

 Winter chill project  Working with the industry to identify a potential problem  Scoping out a project and ensuring MAFF got a useful report  Speaking to the media  Seeing action taken as a result The work was immediate, relevant, useful

 My team supported the initial response  Provided secretariat for Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce data/file/200393/pb13878-tree-health-taskforce-final-report.pdf data/file/200393/pb13878-tree-health-taskforce-final-report.pdf  Worked with BBSRC to get LWEC programme up and running plant-biosecurity-phase2.aspx plant-biosecurity-phase2.aspx  It was: very fast-moving, needed to get up to speed very fast (finding experts, arranging meetings, managing stressed people! drafting etc)  Setting up an evidence programme was part of the Government response to the problem

 Neonicitinoids:  insecticides used on crops  Shown to have harmful effects on bees in lab studies  The European Commission pushed through a two-year ban on neonics in response to the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) scientific opinion that these insecticides posed an unacceptable risk to bees.  But  UK government said the scientific case for banning neonics, based largely on lab studies in which bees were exposed to much higher doses of pesticides than when they are in the field.  Fera study established that when used under field conditions within a normal agricultural setting neonics did not have a major effect on bumblebee colonies.  The subject is very emotive. What’s the right answer?

TB a serious and growing problem in dairy herds Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) Expert opinion divided tb/badgers/culling/