This week, Defra secretary Owen Paterson announced a slew of regulatory reforms aimed at removing the "unnecessary regulatory burden" on business.

The latest developments, part of the government's Red Tape Challenge which was launched shortly after the coalition came to power, will save businesses in the UK £300 million each year, according to the government. However, since the RTC was begun green groups and other policy organisations have been critical of the government's desire to reduce regulation – including environmental legislation – in a bid to make life easier for businesses.

In 2012, when the Red Tape Challenge was first launched, 97 percent of those who responded to consultation on the Red Tape Challenge wanted to see existing environmental protection rules kept or strengthened.

On Thursday, Defra confirmed plans for 336 regulatory reforms, covering water, environment and agricultural standards, which it said would result in savings of £1.5 billion over five years for companies operating in the UK, without impacting on animal welfare, the environment or food quality.

The environment department has reduced its environmental legislation "by 80% in volume" and, alongside its nine subordinate agencies aims to reduce the overall number of regulations by 20 percent compared to their 2011 levels.  

For farming, regulatory reform largely revolves around allowing farmers to gain 'earned recognition', meaning those performing better in inspections will be inspected less often. Paperwork will also be reduced or replaced with online measures, as with sheep and goat reporting which will go electronic from this month; the government estimates that this will save time and money by cutting work hours, as electronic forms will reduce the amount of data farmers need to input each time they update their records.

A Defra infographic released on Thursday gives more information on the main changes. Defra also launched a prototype online regulations portal, DefraLex, which will provide a database for the department's regulations, allowing people to keep track of updated laws.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson commented on Wednesday, "I am determined to see less regulation but better regulation – the same high standards, but rules that are much clearer and easier to use. For the overwhelming majority of organisations behaving responsibly, I want to get out of their hair and let them get on with it. That is the best way of ensuring small businesses prosper, bringing security, jobs and growth. It also gives us in government more time to focus on the ‘bad guys’, that small number who break the rules causing disproportionate harm."

Changes to farming regulation were drawn up in line with recommendations made by a government-appointed group chaired by former National Farmers Union Director General, Richard Macdonald. Macdonald said on Thursday, "The government has made significant progress following our initial recommendations. It has put in place the foundations of a good structure and strategy to deliver on-going regulatory improvements, which benefit both the farmer and regulators."

"While farmers may not feel a difference from every change and the impacts of changes may not filter through for several years, this work will make a cumulative difference to thousands of the nation's farmers if fully implemented."

The announcement was welcomed by the NFU, though the group's  deputy president Minette Batters said she wanted to see more done to help farmers in the field and in the immediate term. She said, "I'm disappointed that, as it stands, some farmers may not feel a difference from every change and in some cases the impacts of changes may not filter through for several years. It is for this reason that it is incredibly important that the government and in particular Defra makes every effort to better communicate to farmers those changes that do make a difference on the ground."

"We… remain concerned about the speed of delivery and lack of urgency in delivering some of the recommendations, such as simplifying livestock movement controls from 2016 – which should have happened much sooner."

However, some critics have questioned the NFU's assertions that government and industry should work in "greater partnership", pointing out – as the response to consultation on the Red Tape Challenge showed – that they do not necessarily share the same aims. After widespread flooding inundated areas of southern England earlier in the year, environment writer George Monbiot criticised the government for weakening soil protection rules in line with recommendations made by MacDonald's Taskforce, which he said may have contributed to the severity of flooding.