The Government recognises the importance of having a robust drainage and wastewater system both now and for future demand. It is the responsibility of water and sewerage undertakers to plan to meet the needs of customers, including accounting for population growth. As part of the Environment Act 2021, a new duty has been created for water companies in England to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). DWMPs set out how a water company intends to improve their drainage and wastewater systems over the next 25 years, accounting for factors including growing population and changing environmental circumstances. These plans will help sewerage companies to fully assess the capacity of the drainage and wastewater network and develop collaborative solutions to current problems and future issues. The plans will bring together various stakeholders including local authorities and industry regulators. Taking a strategic approach to drainage and wastewater management, will help to identify and mitigate issues related to insufficient network capacity or damaged infrastructure.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on May 19, 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area.

Our aim is to start the detailed negotiations as soon as possible, as we want to see businesses benefit from removing barriers to trade.

The Government is committed to tackling trade barriers wherever they emerge as we have shown by securing a new free trade agreement with India and a new deal with the US.

The SPS agreement will reduce delays and paperwork at the border with the EU, make it easier and cheaper to take pets on holiday into the EU, and trade in products such as fresh sausages and seed potatoes will be able to resume.

We will always consider our economic interests in the round. The EU is our largest trading partner and there are significant opportunities from an SPS agreement. We will continue to work with trading partners throughout this process, both bilaterally and at the WTO.

The agreement with the EU does not impact on our ability to agree Free Trade Agreements with other trading partners. Any practical impacts on imports from the rest of the world will be communicated to traders in due course.

A commitment to produce a report on safeguarding veterinary medicines into NI was made by the Veterinary Medicines Working Group (VMWG) established under the previous government; the group was paused due to the election before the report could be published. The VMWG has since been reestablished to provide advice to the new UK Government on an ongoing basis but will no longer produce a final report. Maintaining availability of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland after the end of 2025 is a priority and this Government will progress work on this issue as quickly as possible.