Detailed guide: Sites of special scientific interest: managing your land

Updated: Improved the wording in the ‘Decisions on applications for consent’ section to make it clear when you’ll get a response.

For land you own or occupy, Natural England can select all or part of it for protection. Natural England will do this when it believes the site has features of special interest, such as its:

  • wildlife
  • geology
  • landform

Natural England will ‘notify’ (or designate) the land as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). The section: ‘New SSSI notifications’ tells you more about the designation process and your rights.

This guide tells you what rules you must follow when you manage land you own or occupy within a SSSI. If you do not own or occupy the land and you plan an activity on it, you must work with the owner or occupier. For example, if you’re a third party event organiser.

There’s separate SSSI guidance for public bodies.

Achieving favourable condition

Natural England’s objective is to achieve ‘favourable condition’ status for all SSSIs. Favourable condition means that the SSSI’s habitats and features are in a healthy state and are being conserved by appropriate management.

Natural England will assess whether proposals to carry out operations within a SSSI have a positive or negative effect on the condition of a site.

See ‘SSSI condition and assessment’ for details of how Natural England classifies the condition of SSSIs.

Check if your land is within a SSSI

All SSSIs in England are registered on the Land Charges register. If you’re buying land, your conveyancing search will check if it’s notified as a SSSI. You can also use the Magic map system to check if your land or land you’re buying is within a SSSI.

  1. Click on the ‘+’ symbol below the on-screen compass to zoom in on the detail.

  2. Drag the map to your location using your mouse or mouse pad.

  3. Click on the ‘i’ identify tool in the toolbar at the top of the screen.

  4. Using the crosshair, click on the map to find out the name of the SSSI.

Change of ownership

You must tell Natural England within 28 days about changes to the ownership or occupation of SSSI land, including if:

  • you sell your land
  • you lease it to another person
  • someone else gets the right to use the land (known as ‘an easement’)

Manage SSSI land effectively

You must manage land within a SSSI effectively and appropriately to conserve the special features of the site, such as:

  • grazing animals at particular times of the year
  • managing woodland
  • controlling water levels
  • managing scrub on species-rich grassland

You must check if you need consent before you start work to:

  • carry out management tasks
  • change an existing management regime

There are certain things you cannot do on SSSI land without consulting Natural England and getting consent first. For example, you might want to change the way you manage woodland or change a grazing regime.

Each SSSI has a list of activities, known as ‘operations’, which need Natural England’s consent.

Find out about your land within a SSSI

Use the designated sites system (DSS) to search for a SSSI to:

  • get the list of ‘operations requiring Natural England’s consent’ (the ORNEC list) – you can download a list for each SSSI
  • get a map of the site’s boundary
  • find out who’s the main contact for the site – this is ‘your SSSI adviser’
  • find out why the site was designated
  • get Natural England’s ‘views about management’ report for its steer on how to manage land effectively
  • find out the condition of the site

You must get written consent from Natural England if you intend to carry out a listed operation within the boundary of the SSSI. Read the section: ‘Get consent to carry out operations’ for guidance on how to do this.

If you do not have Natural England’s permission you could:

  • get an unlimited fine if you – or you allow someone else to – carry out a listed operation
  • have to pay to repair any damage to the site

You do not need consent for:

  • emergency work, for example to protect livestock during a flood (you must tell Natural England as soon as possible afterwards)
  • operations with permission from a public body or local authority (they must have consulted Natural England before they granted permission)
  • an operation which is not on the ORNEC list for that site

Get free or charged advice from Natural England

Get advice from Natural England before submitting your proposal. This is likely to reduce delays to Natural England’s consent process.

Free advice

You can get free advice from Natural England:

  • to check if your proposal will significantly affect a SSSI
  • on what you should include with your proposal
  • about routine and repeated operations on the SSSI, including routine agricultural activities
  • on their views about management of your site to reach favourable or recovering condition
  • about management measures specific to your site’s notified features
  • on potential sources of funding
  • about the law on protecting the SSSI

In all cases you’ll get an initial free consultation from Natural England.

Pay for advice

You can pay for additional advice from Natural England if what you want to do is more complicated. Natural England can:

  • help you review your survey results
  • advise on your mitigation strategies to reduce damage to the environment
  • advise on drafting your consent application
  • help if you need advice quickly (in less than 28 working days)
  • help if you need complex advice to meet a defined deadline

Contact your SSSI adviser as soon as possible if you need advice quickly.

You’re likely to benefit most from Natural England’s advice if you seek it before you submit your request for consent.

How much you might pay depends on:

  • the amount of advice you need from Natural England and how complex your proposal is
  • whether or not a Natural England adviser needs to visit your site
  • how quickly you need advice

If you want advice on how to reduce damage to protected sites or species, you’ll pay £110 per hour.

If you want a meeting, you’ll pay:

  • £500 per adviser for a 90 minute meeting: at your site, a Natural England office or using a conference call
  • £110 per hour per adviser for each additional hour

If you want an adviser to travel to your site, you’ll pay the adviser’s:

  • travel costs at 45p per mile
  • public transport, tolls and expenses over and above the mileage at cost
  • travel time as part of the hourly rate

Fast-track services

To get advice on non-complex cases in less than 28 working days, you’ll need to pay £500 for the simple fast-track service.

To get advice for more complex cases to your defined deadline, you’ll need to pay £110 per hour per adviser for the bespoke fast-track service.

Apply for charged advice

Complete the consent advice request form. You need to email the form to either of the following contacts:

Read Natural England’s
terms and conditions for paid-for services
(PDF, 144KB, 17 pages)

.

You must get permission to carry out the listed operations on your land in a SSSI.

  1. Discuss your proposal with your Natural England SSSI adviser – you can search the DSS to find out who the SSSI’s main contact is. (Contact Natural England if you’re unsure.)

  2. Fill in the form to request permission – see the section ‘What to include when you request consent’ for more guidance.

  3. Email your completed form to consultations@naturalengland.org.uk or post it to Natural England.

If you apply to the Forestry Commission for a felling licence within a SSSI, you must consult Natural England. You’ll need Natural England’s consent for operations that are not described in the felling licence, such as where vehicles cross the SSSI to get to the tree felling location.

Read the guidance on ‘Obtaining consent for work in Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)’ on the Forestry Commission website.

You must:

This allows the Forestry Commission to get Natural England’s consent for you.

Include the following details in your proposal:

  • the name of the SSSI
  • your name and address
  • a description of what you intend to do and how
  • approximate start and end dates for the operations
  • the location of the proposed operation (send a map with notes if you can)

You should include as much relevant information with your proposal, such as:

  • what vehicles will need access to the site, the routes they’ll take and ground pressure they’ll exert (particularly across fens and bogs)
  • how you’ll remove any spoil from the site
  • the origin and chemical nature of materials you’ll bring onto the site

Natural England can ask you for more information if there’s a lack of detail and it cannot reach a decision on consent.

For eligible applications, you’ll get one of the following decisions once Natural England has assessed your application:

  • consent granted without conditions (for example for operations that are necessary for achieving favourable condition
  • consent granted with conditions, such as requiring you to carry out operations in a certain way or at a certain time to avoid damage
  • consent refused for any operations that would damage notified features

Natural England can withdraw or modify an existing consent if new surveys on the site show it’s declining from operations previously given consent. This is usually for exceptional cases only.

How Natural England makes a decision

Natural England decides whether to grant consent by assessing the scale and intensity of the proposed operation on the site’s notified features. It will assess the level at which the site can sustain the proposed operations without causing significant negative effects. This is known as the site’s ‘carrying capacity’.

Where possible, Natural England will work with you to improve your proposal to avoid:

  • damage to the site
  • getting consent with conditions attached
  • refusal of consent

You may need to pay for advice if your proposal is complex. Natural England will tell you if you need this service.

It’s an offence to carry out a listed operation without Natural England’s consent or to ignore the conditions of a consent.

Read the section on getting free or charged advice from Natural England before you apply for consent. This will help you submit an eligible application.

Decision process

Natural England will acknowledge receipt of your application within 10 working days. Your application must be complete for it to be eligible for Natural England to consider it. See: ‘What to include when you request consent’.

If your application is straightforward, Natural England will try to give you a decision within 28 working days. Natural England can take up to 4 months to make its decision. It will tell you when you’re likely to get a decision if:

  • your case is complex
  • it’s going to take longer than 28 working days

If you do not receive a consent decision within 4 months, you should take this as a refusal of consent.

If you need advice quicker than 28 working days, you can pay for the fast-track advice service. This service is subject to Natural England’s discretion.

How to appeal against a decision

You have the right to appeal to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) if:

  • Natural England refuses permission for operations
  • you disagree with the conditions applied to the consent
  • Natural England withdraws or modifies previous consent
  • you do not get a consent decision within 4 months

You have 2 months to appeal. Read the guidance on the appeals process. You may be able to resolve the problem without a formal appeal by speaking to your SSSI adviser.

SSSI condition and assessment

Natural England categorises the condition of SSSIs as one of the following:

  • favourable – habitats and features are in a healthy state and are being conserved by appropriate management
  • unfavourable (recovering condition) – if current management measures are sustained the site will recover over time
  • unfavourable (no change) or unfavourable (declining condition) – special features are not being conserved or are being lost, so without appropriate management the site will never reach a favourable or recovering condition
  • part destroyed or destroyed – there has been fundamental damage, where special features have been permanently lost and favourable condition can’t be achieved

Site visits and condition assessments

Natural England may visit your SSSI to check on its general condition. Natural England or expert contractors will carry out condition assessments if:

  • Natural England thinks it’s necessary
  • the condition of the site may change

For most sites they’ll do this at least once every 6 years. They may visit more often if a special feature:

  • can only be assessed at a specific time of year
  • is likely to change quickly, such as grassland

For sites where changes are expected to be slow, such as woodland, they may do a condition assessment once every 10 years.

Natural England will request your permission before visiting. It may use its power of entry if it believes the site is being damaged.

At other times, Natural England can enter the site without your permission but will only do this if:

  • you’ve been notified of the visit
  • you’ve not allowed access

For assessment, Natural England divides SSSIs into smaller units and assesses them against:

  • a list of the features for which the site was designated
  • related targets

You can see the SSSI targets on the ‘favourable condition table’ by searching for your site on the DSS. You’ll find the favourable condition table underneath the site summary box.

Example

If one of the special features of your site is a rare plant species, the assessment is likely to include a measure of population size and distribution within the unit. Similarly, if a particular habitat is a feature, Natural England will measure its extent, structure and species composition.

After the assessment, Natural England will contact you to discuss:

  • the condition of the site
  • any changes in management you need to make if it’s not in favourable or recovering condition

Natural England usually publishes summaries of condition assessments within 6 weeks. You can see these on the DSS.

  1. Search for your SSSI.
  2. Click on ‘View details’.
  3. In the Summary box, click on ‘View units’ in the right hand column.
  4. Click on ‘View map’ on the right hand side to see the area on a map.

Condition improvement process

Natural England can take 3 steps to help you improve the favourable condition of the SSSI if it has declined.

1. Management agreement

Natural England will advise you on, and try to agree with you, the work that’s needed to protect and improve the condition of the site. You can achieve most management objectives on SSSIs with a Countryside Stewardship grant, which you might be eligible for.

2. Management scheme

A management scheme is a statement of measures necessary to conserve or restore features of your land. Natural England can put a management scheme in place if the features of special interest on your SSSI are deteriorating from neglect or poor management.

Where a management scheme has been put in place, Natural England may ask you to apply for a Countryside Stewardship grant.

Decline resulting from wilful or reckless damage to the site is treated differently and is subject to enforcement measures.

If you think the management scheme is unreasonable or that someone else should be responsible for the work, contact your SSSI adviser and explain why.

3. Management notice

If you do not carry out works set out in a management scheme, Natural England can issue a management notice. This will state that you must carry out some or all of the works set out in the management scheme.

You’ll be breaking the law if you get a management notice, but do not carry out the work within 2 months of Natural England’s deadline.

If you do not carry out the work, Natural England could:

  • prosecute you, which may result in you getting an unlimited fine
  • enter your land and carry out the work – you’ll have to pay for the work
  • get a compulsory purchase order to force you to sell your land to them (as a last resort)

You can appeal to Defra against a management notice. You have 2 months to appeal.

You may be able to resolve the problem without a formal appeal by speaking to your SSSI adviser.

Enforcement

Natural England will take enforcement action on you or others who:

  • intentionally or recklessly damage the SSSI
  • destroy any of the features of special interest
  • disturb wildlife for which the site was notified
  • carry out listed operations without consent

Where possible, Natural England will work with you to avoid legal proceedings. Read the section on enforcement undertakings to find out more. Natural England will use enforcement measures as a last resort.

New SSSI notifications

Natural England identifies and protects SSSIs in England under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended).

Natural England will select and notify an area as a new SSSI when it believes the land’s wildlife, geology or landform is of special interest. When land becomes an SSSI, it does not give the public the right to access your land. Natural England will ‘notify’ (or designate) the land as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

Find out how Natural England uses its statutory power to protect SSSIs.

Sites are selected using the:

Natural England will write to you and tell you if it believes your land has special conservation value. Natural England is likely to call you to discuss this before sending a notification letter.

The letter will explain the legal implications of the notification by including:

  • the reasons for designation
  • a statement of Natural England’s views on the management of the SSSI
  • a list of operations requiring Natural England’s consent
  • a map showing the SSSI
  • your legal responsibilities
  • how to give your opinions or object to the designation

The letter will give you details of an adviser who can help you. They’ll be able to explain:

Natural England must also tell:

  • the local planning authority
  • the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • public bodies, such as the Environment Agency, water and sewerage companies and internal drainage boards

Further information on notifying SSSIs can be found on Natural England’s designations programme for areas, sites and trails.

Give your opinion or object to a new notification

You have 4 months to write to Natural England to tell them what you think or to object to the designation of your land as an SSSI.

The Natural England board decides whether to confirm or withdraw a notification. It has a 4-month consultation period to look at the objections and issues raised.

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs appoints members of the board. They are independent of Natural England staff and the executive board.

Changes and de-notification

If the special interest of the SSSI is not adequately protected by the existing notification, Natural England can:

  • extend an existing SSSI if nearby land is also of special interest
  • add features of special interest to an SSSI record if they’re found on the land
  • update the list of operations for which you’ll need Natural England’s consent
  • withdraw the designation of an SSSI, known as ‘de-notification’

Natural England will consult with you in a similar way as a new notification if it makes a change to an existing notification.

Natural England will only de-notify a SSSI in exceptional cases. For example, if the site’s special interest is lost and cannot be restored as a result of:

  • natural causes
  • granting planning permission for development

It’s an offence to deliberately or recklessly damage the special features of an SSSI. Sites that have been illegally damaged, or suffered from neglect, will not be de-notified.

You have the opportunity to repair the damage using the enforcement undertaking process.

Contact

Speak to your SSSI adviser or contact the enquiries team if you need help.

Natural England Enquiries

County Hall

Spetchley Road

Worcester

WR5 2NP

Email enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk.

Telephone 0300 060 3900.

Opening times: 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).

Find out about call charges at www.gov.uk/call-charges.



Statistical data set: Commodity prices

Updated: Updated to include week commencing 15 October prices.

Prices for selected agricultural and horticultural produce are published on a weekly or monthly basis in the following spreadsheets. The data source depends on the item but includes prices collected by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) or obtained from other organisations or trade journals.

If you require datasets in another format such as Excel, please contact prices@defra.gsi.gov.uk.

Discontinued datasets from April 2016

These datasets will remain on this webpage but are no longer being updated as the data is available on other websites. Details of where these prices can be found are given within each of the datasets.

Defra statistics: prices

You can also contact us via Twitter: https://twitter.com/DefraStats



Statistical data set: British survey of fertiliser practice dataset

Updated: Updated dataset to include data up to 2017.

This dataset gives annual statistics on fertiliser use on the major crops and grass grown in mainland Britain. It is updated each year when the annual report on the British Survey of Fertiliser Practice is published.


British survey of fertiliser practice dataset
(MS Excel Spreadsheet, 444KB)



Official Statistics: Funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management in England

Updated: 2018 update published

This document sets out Central Government funding for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) in England, since financial year 2005/06.

The document sets out the budget allocations, as well as historical expenditure on Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management. It also sets out other sources of funding used for FCERM.

Following consultation with the UK Statistics Authority, this document has been updated to become an Official Statistic. This document is not a National Statistic. These statistics have been produced to the high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, which sets out eight principles including meeting user needs, impartiality and objectivity, integrity, sound methods and assured quality, frankness and accessibility.

Defra statistics: environment

You can also contact us via Twitter: https://twitter.com/DefraStats



Detailed guide: Food standards: labelling, durability and composition

Updated: Updated the list of UK recognised natural mineral waters to include Anu Irish Natural Mineral Water and Prince’s Gate Source W.

Overview

The information under the bottled water heading was updated in September 2018. The rest of the information on this page is awaiting review.

This guide covers more specific legal requirements for some particular food products. It also explains the requirements for ‘best before’ and ‘use by’.

Food standards legislation sets out specific requirements for the labelling, composition and, in some cases, safety parameters for specific high value foodstuffs which are potentially at risk of being misleadingly substituted with lower quality alternatives:

  • bottled water
  • bread and flour
  • cocoa and chocolate products
  • fats and oils
  • fish
  • fruit juices and nectars
  • honey
  • jams and preserves
  • meat and meat products
  • milk and milk products
  • soluble coffee
  • sugar

Legislation sets requirements for food labels in the UK and aims to ensure food labels are an honest presentation of food. The requirements in place ensure consistency for the industry and for consumers.

Food labelling legislation is harmonised at an EU level. In England, responsibility for food labelling legislation and policy is split across Defra, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Department of Health (DH).

For Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all domestic standards legislation is the responsibility of the FSA.

This guide includes Defra’s table of mineral waters recognised in the UK and how to notify Defra or the FSA about newly recognised mineral waters or make amendments.

It also covers the Codex international standards that are not legally binding but are generally considered good practice. They ensure fairness in international trade and make sure consumer interests are protected.

Bottled water

Bottled waters are split into 3 categories: natural mineral water, spring water and bottled drinking water. Each has their own rules and requirements on exploitation, sale and how they are labelled.

Natural mineral waters must come from a recognised underground water source. The waters chemical and mineral composition must be stable over time and its original purity must be preserved. They can only be subject to very limited treatments. It is a requirement to label natural mineral water with a statement of analytical composition indicating the characteristic constituents of the water.

Any water labelled ‘spring water’ must come from an underground source and meet certain exploitation and labelling requirements. Spring water doesn’t need to be from an officially recognised source, nor must its composition be stable over time. There is no requirement for spring waters to display a statement of analytical composition indicating the characteristic constituents of the water.

Bottled drinking can come from any water source and has fewer labelling restrictions than the other 2 categories.

Table showing natural mineral waters recognised in the UK

Last updated: 24 September 2018

England

Trade description Name of source Place of exploitation
No production at present Amerston borehole Amerston Hall Farm, Elwick, County Durham
Aqua Pura GB1 Low Plains, Armathwaite, Cumbria
Asda Natural Mineral water GB4 Low Plains, Armathwaite, Cumbria
No production at present Source 1 Low Plains, Armathwaite, Cumbria
Ashbeck Ashbeck Low Plains, Armathwaite, Cumbria
Waitrose essentials Lockhills Low Plains, Armathwaite, Cumbria
No production at present Willow Water Willow House, Moor Lane, Flookburgh, Cumbria LA11 7LS
Buxton St Ann’s The Natural Baths, Buxton, Derbyshire
No production at present Rockhead Spring Ashwood Dale, Buxton, Derbyshire
Blue Keld Spring Blue Keld Spring Throstle nest Farm, Cranswick, East Riding of Yorkshire
Peartree Well Peartree Well Paygate Farm, Palehouse Common, Framfield, East Sussex, TN22 5QY
Hildon Hildon Broughton, Hampshire
South Down Natural Mineral Water Windsor House Spring Windsor House, Southbourne, Emsworth, Hampshire
Celtic Vale Natural Mineral Water Celtic Vale Spring Springvale, Longtown, Herefordshire HR20PB
Blenheim Water Blenheim Park Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
No production at present 4CS Shrewsbury Road, Church Stretton, Shropshire
Fairbourne Spring 6CS Shrewsbury Road, Church Stretton, Shropshire
Silverbrook Falls 7CS Shrewsbury Road, Church Stretton, Shropshire
Bath Natural Mineral Water Stall Street Stall Street, Bath, Bath & North East Somerset
Sutton Spring Sutton Spring Vine Farm Dairy, Sutton Road, Doncaster, DN6 9LB, South Yorkshire
Elmhurst Spring Elmhurst Spring, Borehole 1 Elmhurst, Lichfield, Staffordshire
Maple Spring Maple Spring Borehole 4 Burntwood Staffordshire
Shepley Spring Shepley Spring No.3 Shepley Spring Ltd, The Knowle, Shepley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Ice Valley Shepley Spring No. 1 Shepley Spring Ltd., The Knowle, Shepley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
No production at present Pennine Spring No 2 Willow Lane, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Haworth Spring Haworth Spring Bridgehouse Mills, Bridgehouse Lane, Haworth, West Yorkshire BD22 8PA
Royal Spring Natural Mineral Water Royal Spring Goulbourne Street, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD21 1PG

Northern Ireland

Trade description Name of source Place of exploitation
Anu Irish Natural Mineral Water Anu Irish Water Coolkeeran Road, Armoy, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
Classic Classic Edward Street, Lurgan, Craigavon, Co. Armagh
Rocwell Spring Rocwell Limehill Road, Pomeroy, Co. Tyrone

Scotland

Trade description Name of source Place of exploitation
Deeside Natural Mineral Water Deeside, Lower Spring Pannanich Wells, Ballater
No production at present Garclaugh Spring Meikle Garcleugh Farm, New Cumnock
No production at present High Linn Spring Meikle Garcleugh Farm, New Cumnock
No production at present Maol Dubh Laggan Estate, Isle of Islay
No production at present Flodigarry Boreholes 1 & 2 Flodigarry Staffin Isle of Skye
Kingshill Kingshill Kingshill Plantation, Newmains
Purely Scottish Purely Scottish Spring Oldhamstocks, East Lothian
Royal Deeside Natural Mineral Water Upper East Spring Pannanich Wells Ballater
Speyside Glenlivet Natural Mineral Water Slochd Spring Braes of Glenlivet, Ballindalloch Banffshire
No production at present St Ronan’s Innerleithen, Tweedale

Wales

Trade description Name of source Place of exploitation
Calypso Natural Mineral Water Calypso Springs Calypso Soft Drinks, Wrexham
Belu Source B Llwyndewi Isaf, Trap, Llandeilo, Wales
Fairbourne Springs FS2 Churchstoke Montgomery, Powys
Brecon Carreg Brecon Carreg Llwyndewi Isaf, Trap, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire
Castle Spring Castle Lon Parcwr, Ruthin
Celtic Spring CS1 Churchstoke, Powys
Celtic Spring Silverbrook Falls Churchstoke, Montgomery, Powys
Cerist Cerist Llawr Cae, Dinas Mawddwy, Machynlleth, Powys
Crystal Falls Crystal Falls Blaen Twyni Farm, Glyntawe, Penycae, Powys
CS17 CS17 Churchstoke, Powys
Decantae Decantae Trofarth Farm, Trofarth, Conwy
Gower Spring Gower Staffal Haegr Farm, Llanrhidian, Swansea
iii Priory Falls Spring Churchstoke, Powys
Montgomery Spring Montgomery Spring Churchstoke, Powys
Prince’s Gate Source W W New House Farm, Narberth, Pembrokeshire, SA67 8JD
Prysg Prysg spring Prysg, Maesycrugiau, Pencader, Carmarthenshire
Radnor Hills Radnor Hills Heartsease, Knighton, Powys
Ty Nant Ty Nant Water Bethania Llanon
Waitrose Welsh Spring Waitrose Welsh Llwyndewi Isaf,Trap, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire
Springbourne Springbourne Churchstoke Montgomery, Powys

Notify Defra of new mineral waters or amend details

The list is compiled with the help of local authorities and the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The aim of the list is to let local enforcement officers know which producers can advertise their product as a natural mineral water and to prevent producers from duplicating names. Defra updates the list whenever it is notified of newly recognised natural mineral waters, withdrawals of recognition or changes to the trade description or the name of the spring.

English local authorities who wish to notify Defra of any amendments to the list should email bottled.water@defra.gsi.gov.uk . Local authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should contact the relevant devolved office with any amendments to the list as they have responsibility for the equivalent regulations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Third country natural mineral waters recognised by the UK

Trade description Name of source Place of exploitation
Minaqua Fruska Gora Spring Novi Sad, Serbia Montenegro
Knjaz Miloš Izvorište Mladost Arandjelovac, Serbia
Aqua Viva Aqua Viva Park Arandjelovac, Serbia

The European Commission published a list of all the natural mineral waters recognised by member states, including third country recognitions.

Bread and flour

The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 lay down specific labelling and compositional standards for bread and flour and defines terms such as wholemeal and self-raising.

They also continue a long standing national requirement that any UK-milled flour (except wholemeal) must be fortified with iron, niacin, and thiamine and calcium primarily for restoration of nutrients lost in the milling process and additionally ensuring the nutritional value of bread.

Cocoa and chocolate products

Certain cocoa and chocolate products must comply with the reserved descriptions set out in the Cocoa and Chocolate Products Regulations 2003. The rules lay down the composition of chocolate and products including setting minimum ingredient requirements and specific labelling requirements. The amount of cocoa solids and milk solids that must be present are stipulated as well as allowing only certain additional ingredients to be added.

A cocoa solids declaration such as X% minimum is required for most chocolate products covered by the rules and also where appropriate a milk solids declaration is required. This enables consumers to make informed decisions about the type of chocolate they want to purchase. If you use one of the reserved descriptions covered in the regulation then your product must be made according to the defined compositional criteria.

Fats and oils

Legal standards on composition exist for fats and oil exist for labelling them as an ingredient ‘vegetable oil/fat’. In addition there are very specific rules on the labelling and composition of spreadable fats, such as butter and margarine. These set out permitted fat ranges for each type of spreadable fat: dairy spreads made with milk fat; fat spreads made with vegetable fats; and blended spreads which contain a mix of both types of fat. The legal names for a particular spread must appear prominently on packaging.

Fish: species names, commercial designations and labelling

Rules are in place to make sure fish is labelled correctly and consistently at the point of sale, so purchasers know exactly what they are buying. The rules require information on:

  • the commercial designation of the species (an agreed common name for the species of fish)
  • the production method (whether caught at sea, caught in inland waters or farmed)
  • the catch area (either the ocean area, or in the case of freshwater fish, the country in which it was caught or farmed)

There are requirements to provide:

  • the scientific name
  • a declaration on whether the fish was previously frozen

The Fish Labelling Regulations 2013 adds new commercial designations (the names of fish) for species of fish that have recently come onto the market.

Fruit juices and nectars

The Fruit Juice and Fruit Nectars (England) Regulations 2013 bring together all rules on fruit juices and fruit nectars by setting minimum compositional standards for fruit juices and nectars.

These rules define terms such as fruit juice, fruit juice from concentrate, concentrated fruit juice, water extracted fruit juice and fruit nectar. They also lay down permitted authorised ingredients and treatments in the manufacture of fruit juices. The rules include an updated approach to enforcement using an Improvement Notice approach.

Honey

Honey composition and labelling is controlled by The Honey (England) Regulations 2015. This legislation lays down reserved descriptions that must be used which relate to the source from which the honey is obtained (for example blossom, honeydew), or the processes by which it is extracted (for example drained, extracted) and also the way it is presented (for example comb, chunk honey).

The regulations lay down detailed specification honey must comply to in terms of its composition and also set out some general quality criteria for honey. In addition the regulations contain some specific labelling requirements including a requirement for country of origin labelling on honey where appropriate. If you use one of the reserved descriptions then your product must be made according to the defined compositional criteria.

Jams and marmalade

Jam and similar products must comply with the reserved descriptions as set out in the Jam and Similar Products (England) Regulations 2003. These include compositional requirements such as minimum fruit and sugar requirements and specific labelling requirements such as labelling the amount of fruit and sugar in a jam or marmalade.

Products covered include jam, extra jam, jellies and marmalades. In addition only certain ingredients are allowed to be added. The regulations also provide national rules for mincemeat and fruit curds. If you use one of the reserved descriptions then your product must be made according to the defined compositional criteria.

Milk products

For milk products there are legal standards that set out compositional and labelling requirements and also protect the use of dairy terms when marketing foods. Specific legal standards exist on the composition and labelling of ice cream, cream, casein and caseinates, certain UK cheeses and condensed/dried milk. The use of terms such as milk, cheese, cream, yogurt is also protected so they may only be used for the associated dairy products and not misused to describe non-dairy produce.

Meat products

For a range of meat products there is legislation setting out specific compositional and labelling requirements. The rules set out minimum meat content requirements for certain meat products sold using reserved descriptions such as sausages, burgers, corned beef, meat pies, pasties. In addition, there are very specific labelling rules for certain meat products that look like a cut, joint, slice, portion or carcase of meat. Where any added water over certain limits as well as any added ingredients of different animal species to the rest of the meat must be mentioned in the name of the food.

Soluble coffee

Instant coffee is controlled by rules covered in The Coffee Extracts and Chicory Extracts (England) Regulations 2000. These define soluble coffee extracts and chicory extracts in terms of their coffee and chicory content and also provide for rules on their labelling.

Sugars

Regulations exist which lay down reserved descriptions for certain types of sugar products sold as such to the final consumer. These rules set out specifications for the sugar products covered and in some cases provide for additional labelling requirements. Products covered by the rules include white sugars, dextrose, glucose syrups and fructose.

‘Best before’ and ‘use by’

The ‘best before’ date is appropriate for the vast majority of foods and indicates the period for which a food can reasonably be expected to retain its optimal condition (for example, it will not be stale) and relates to the quality of the food.

The ‘use by’ date is the required form of date mark for those foods which are highly perishable from a microbiological point of view and which are likely after a relatively short period to present a risk of food poisoning, and relates to the safety of the food.

Guidance on the application of date labels to food gives the latest advice and guidance.

It includes a short guide especially prepared to assist small and medium sized businesses. It aids compliance with the law and assists food businesses which do not have in-house knowledge or expertise to decide which date marks should apply to which foods and if they need to seek further advice for example from their Local Authority or a specialist food consultant. The guidance does not change the use of ‘sell by’ or ‘display until’ dates although it does reiterate existing best practice advice that these dates are confusing to consumers.

The Codex standards (Codex Alimentarius)

The Codex Alimentarius is a series of food standards and related texts. They aim to provide a high level of consumer protection and fair practice in the international trade of food and agricultural products.

Food standards are becoming more important as international trade in food opens up and consumers are more concerned about safety and quality. Standards must provide a high level of consumer protection and not unnecessarily restrict trade. Codex is recognised in the relevant World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreements as the international body able to provide these guarantees. In the event of a trade dispute Codex standards would become accepted reference documents for its settlement.

The organisation charged with the development of the Codex standards and related texts is the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). This is an intergovernmental body jointly sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The detailed work of CAC on drafting standards, codes of practice and other guidance is handled by about 30 Committees which fall into three general categories: commodity committees (for example milk and milk products), horizontal committees dealing with issues across a range of commodities (for example labelling, food additives) and regional committees (eg Europe).

Defra acts as the national contact point for the UK in Codex and is responsible for:

  • distributing all Codex papers relating to specific committee/s to interested parties and organising consultations on these issues to feed into the UK position on Codex
  • responding to Codex on standards and other texts in the step procedure
  • representing the UK at relevant Codex committee meetings

Further details on Codex working procedures, committees and forthcoming meetings can be found on the Codex website.

UK Codex contact point – codex@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Food Information Regulation (FIR)

Food Information Regulation (FIR) (1169/2011) includes mandatory nutrition labelling on pre-packaged food, country of origin, date marking (including date of first freezing), clarity of food information, alcohol labelling, labelling of non pre-packed foods and allergen labelling.

Find out the information you must give to customers on food products.