Despite assurances made in past weeks by newly appointed environment secretary and apparent recent convert to environmentalism Michael Gove, ministers from devolved nations have aired concerns that Brexit still represents a threat to the environment.  

Ahead of a meeting in Cardiff on Thursday between Scotland's Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham and her Welsh counterpart Lesley Griffiths, Ms Cunningham said, “My message has been clear and consistent - the Scottish Government will steadfastly adhere to its environmental commitments, despite the growing threat of a hard Brexit.  That is why we are joining  with our Welsh counterparts to urge the UK Government to ditch this ill-conceived power grab.

“Imposing a UK-wide framework for the environment risks undermining the significant progress Scotland has made, which has seen us win international recognition for our work on climate change and the circular economy.

“We are not opposed in principle to UK-wide frameworks in certain areas but this must be through agreement  - not imposition.

“Protecting devolution will allow us  to drive forward our ambitious work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance environmental standards and create a cleaner, greener Scotland for everyone.”

Around 80% of UK environment law originated at EU level. This includes legislation around waste management, pollution and regulations, biodiversity, flooding and drink water quality. Ms Cunningham fears that areas such as climate change and the circular economy, where the Scottish Government has set itself more ambitious targets than the UK Government, will suffer if there is a “power grab” by Westminster, in which ministers could impose softer UK-wide policies without negotiating with devolved governments.

The influential three professors report, penned by three of the UK’s leading food and farm policy experts and published in July, warned that the public haven’t been informed of the magnitude of the threat Brexit presents to the UK food system. The three professors warned that, because there is no Government vision for UK food or agriculture, food prices, quality, supply and the state of the environment will all be adversely affected even under a ‘soft’ Brexit scenario.

On Thursday, Welsh Rural Affairs Secretary Ms Griffiths said she shared Ms Cunningham’s concerns. Ahead of the meeting in Cardiff she said, “Devolution has enabled the Welsh Government to deliver ground-breaking legislation for the people of Wales, which delivers on international obligations and has been recognised as cutting-edge by a number of international institutions.  The approach presented by the UK Government in the Withdrawal Bill could significantly undermine this progress.

“Our approach has not been about trading off agriculture and the environment, it’s about both.  You can’t have one without the other.  The Bill as it stands has the potential to seriously impact on this approach by locking us into an outdated framework while also removing our ability to bring forward reforms.

“This is why, like Scotland, we want EU powers in devolved areas to come straight to Wales.  Welcoming my Scottish counterpart to Wales today will allow us to continue to work together to develop a strong future which benefits everyone.”