Badgers, Bees and Ash trees: how science
informs policy decisions in government
or: Working for a Government Chief Scientific
Adviser – the role of science in policy making
EMMA HENNESSEY
HEAD OF CSA’S TEAM, DEFRA
DEFRA IS A EVIDENCE-BASED ORGANISATION
Evidence = science, economics, social and
operational research, veterinary sciences,
engineering, statistics, geography etc.
 Policies are informed by evidence
 Defra Network spends over £230m p.a. on
evidence (core Defra spends around £160m
p.a.)

DEFRA HAS OVER 300 SPECIALISTS
Profession
Science
Economics
1
Statistics
Social Research
Vets
Operational Research
Engineering
2
Other
Total
1
2
Number
106
85
80
17
12
10
7
4
321
Includes administrative staff providing analytical support to the statisticians;
Includes Analysts and Research Fellow es.
The numbers shown are as at 3 Feb 2014 and include people who are currently out of the department
on loan, secondment, career break, special leave, and people currently on loan / secondment to
Defra.
WIDER NETWORK

Defra has three lab agencies:
 Fera
(Food and Environment Research Agency),
 AHVLA (Animal Health Veterinary Laboratory
Agency),
 Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and
Aquaculture Science)
Also scientists at Kew, EA, NE, MMO, JNCC,
FR/FC
 Over 3000 specialists

CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER – CHALLENGES AND
SUPPORTS DEFRA’S SPECIALISTS
provides Ministerial advice on evidence base to
support policy decisions
 ensures quality and fit-for-purpose science
 raises the profile of Defra science and manage
interface with the public
 is a member of the Defra Supervisory Board
 supported by Heads of Profession

SCIENCE ADVISORY COUNCIL PROVIDES EXPERT
INDEPENDENT ADVICE ON SCIENCE POLICY AND
STRATEGY
 Responsible for:
 providing
expert independent advice and challenge
to the Chief Scientific Adviser and ministers
 helping to guide Defra’s scientific priorities and
planning, including long-range planning as well as
dealing with immediate risks and opportunities
DEFRA’S PRIORITIES

Defra’s four priorities are:
 Growing
the rural economy
 Improving the environment
 Safeguarding animal health
 Safeguarding plant health

Running through all of these is the priority of
economic growth as the Government's top
priority.
DEFRA’S PRIORITIES TRANSLATE INTO 31
EVIDENCE PROGRAMMES
Animal Welfare
Aquatic Animal Health
Bovine TB
Disease Mitigation and Control
Endemic diseases
Exotic Diseases
Transmissible Spongiform
Encephalopathies
Veterinary Medicine and Anti-Microbial
Resistance
Climate Change Mitigation for Agriculture
and the Food Chain
Crops
EU Agriculture and Budget Strategy
Farming Elements inc. GM Policy
Livestock
Plant Health, Bee Health, Plant Varieties
and Seeds
Sustainable, Secure and Healthy Food
Supply
Adapting to Climate Change
Air Quality
Better Regulation
Biodiversity
Chemicals & Nanotechnologies
Floods
Inland Waterways, Landscape and Outdoor
Recreation
Marine
Natural Value
Noise
Pesticides
Rural Communities
Rural Development Programme for England
Soil Protection
Waste and Resources
Water Availability and Quality and Drinking
Water Inspectorate
Sustainable Consumption and Production
Sustainable Development
Strategic Evidence
EVIDENCE NEEDS ARE ARTICULATED IN
EVIDENCE PLANS
Budget
 Policy context
 Evidence needs
 Key partners

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/de
fra-s-evidence-investment-strategy-2010-to-2013and-beyond-2011-update
MOST SPECIALISTS ARE PART OF POLICY TEAMS









Landscape, Rural, Crops
Farming, Land and Soils
Floods, Water Availability and Quality
Food policy, Chemicals and Emerging Technologies, GM
Air Quality, Noise, Waste
Marine
EU and Better Regulation
Animal Health, Plant Health
Animal Welfare, TB
EVIDENCE TEAMS IN DEFRA ARE
MULTIDISCIPINARY
Science
 Engineering
 Social Research
 Economics
 Statistics
 Operational Research
 Etc….

CORPORATE CENTRE EVIDENCE TEAM
RESPONSIBLE FOR EVIDENCE POLICY








Supporting the CSA, SAC and Director of Analysis
Preparing evidence strategy
Setting quality standards, embedding procurement
rules
Strategic partnership (EU funding)
Geography and Earth Observations
Responding to PQs and FoI requests
Overseeing evidence budgets
Looking after Defra’s specialists
HOW WE ALL WORK TOGETHER
Policy DG
CSA
SAC
Corporate
evidence
team
Policy teams
manage evidence
to meet their policy
needs
CSA, SAC and
Corporate Evidence
Team supports
evidence processes,
ensures QA
EXAMPLES OF EVIDENCE ACTIVITIES
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
 Volcanic Ash
 Winter chill
 Chalara inc. tree health
 Bees
 Badgers

MAKING A DIFFERENCE…IDEAS INTO ACTION

Winter chill project
 Working
with the industry to
identify a potential problem
 Scoping out a project and
ensuring MAFF got a useful
report
 Speaking to the media
 Seeing action taken as a result
The work was
immediate,
relevant, useful
TREE HEALTH - CHALARA



My team supported the initial response
 Provided secretariat for Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert
Taskforce
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_
data/file/200393/pb13878-tree-health-taskforce-final-report.pdf
 Worked with BBSRC to get LWEC programme up and running
http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/opportunities/2013/tree-health-andplant-biosecurity-phase2.aspx
It was: very fast-moving, needed to get up to speed very fast
(finding experts, arranging meetings, managing stressed
people! drafting etc)
Setting up an evidence programme was part of the Government
response to the problem
BEES AND NEONICITINOIDS

Neonicitinoids:




The European Commission pushed through a two-year ban on neonics in
response to the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) scientific opinion
that these insecticides posed an unacceptable risk to bees.
But



insecticides used on crops
Shown to have harmful effects on bees in lab studies
UK government said the scientific case for banning neonics, based largely on lab studies in
which bees were exposed to much higher doses of pesticides than when they are in the
field.
Fera study established that when used under field conditions within a normal agricultural
setting neonics did not have a major effect on bumblebee colonies.
The subject is very emotive. What’s the right answer?
BADGERS AND TB
TB a serious and growing problem in dairy herds
Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT)
Expert opinion divided
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/a-z/bovinetb/badgers/culling/