* the natural environment, biodiversity, plants and animals
* sustainable development and the green economy
* food, farming and fisheries
* animal health and welfare
* environmental protection and pollution control
* rural communities and issues.

Although they only work directly in England, they work closely with the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and generally lead on negotiations in the EU and internationally.

Defra’s Climate Change plan takes forward the strategy set out in the Government’s Low Carbon Transition Plan of July 2009, which highlighted the potential for new woodlands for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Plan gave the illustrative example that 10,000 hectares of new planting per year in England over 15 years could remove 50 million tonnes of CO2 between now and 2050.