Catalogue description Records of Environment and Conservation

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: Environment and Conservation, to 2001

In 1970 the Safety, Pesticides and Infestation Control Division was created, and in 1974 when its remit was expanded, this became part of the Environmental Pollution, Pesticides and Infestation Control Division, which also encompassed all other areas of environmental pollution and infestation control.

In 1984 these functions passed to the Environment Co-ordination Unit which was responsible for co-ordination of the Ministry's work on environmental issues, including pollution, conservation and rural affairs. In 1986 this became the Environmental and Conservation Policy Division, which continued until in 1988 when its responsibilities were split between two new divisions: the Conservation Policy Division and the Environmental Policy Division, which then became the Environmental Protection Division.

Work to establish Environmentally Sensitive Areas began in 1987 and was done by an Environment Task Force Division until 1988. In 1991 a second Environment Task Force was created in 1991 to co-ordinate the environmental aspects of CAP (the Common Agricultural Policy) and work relating to new Environmentally Sensitive Areas and this developed into an Environmentally Sensitive Areas Division in 1994.

In 1995 the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Division became the Conservation Management Division, and the Conservation Policy Division was replaced by the Conservation and Woodlands Policy Division.

The Environmental Protection Division continued until 1998 when it became the Rural and Marine Environment Division.

The Conservation and Woodlands Policy Division later became the Conservation and Rural Development Division and then the Rural Division.

In 2001, MAFF was replaced by DEFRA, and the Conservation Management Division, the Rural and Marine Environment Division, and the Rural Division were all accordingly transferred.