Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Her Majesty's Principal; Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Royal Arms of Her Majesty's Government
	Incumbent; George Eustice; since 13 February 2020
	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Style	Environment Secretary (informal); The Right Honourable; (within the UK and the Commonwealth)
Appointer	The Monarch; on advice of the Prime Minister
Formation	8 June 2001
First holder	Margaret Beckett
Website	ww2.defra.gov.uk

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, also referred to as the Environment Secretary, is a British Cabinet level position, in charge of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the successor to the positions of Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

As of February 2020, the Secretary of State is George Eustice MP.

Responsibilities

The Secretary of State has three main responsibilities at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to:

bear overall responsibility for all Departmental issues.
represent the United Kingdom at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council, and at the EU Environment Council.
lobby for the United Kingdom in other international negotiations on sustainable development and climate change.

Secretary of State for the Environment[1]
Name	Term of office		Party	Ministry
Peter Walker MBE MP for Worcester	15 October 1970	5 November 1972	Conservative	Heath
Geoffrey Rippon QC MP for Hexham	5 November 1972	4 March 1974	Conservative	Heath
Anthony Crosland MP for Great Grimsby	5 March 1974	8 April 1976	Labour	Wilson (III & IV)
Peter Shore MP for Stepney and Poplar	8 April 1976	4 May 1979	Labour	Callaghan
Michael Heseltine MP for Henley	5 May 1979	6 January 1983	Conservative	Thatcher I
Tom King MP for Bridgwater	6 January 1983	11 June 1983	Conservative	Thatcher I
Patrick Jenkin MP for Wanstead and Woodford	11 June 1983	2 September 1985	Conservative	Thatcher II
Kenneth Baker MP for Mole Valley	2 September 1985	21 May 1986	Conservative
Nicholas Ridley MP for Cirencester and Tewkesbury	21 May 1986	24 July 1989	Conservative
Nicholas Ridley MP for Cirencester and Tewkesbury	21 May 1986	24 July 1989	Conservative	Thatcher III
Chris Patten MP for Bath	24 July 1989	28 November 1990	Conservative	Thatcher III
Michael Heseltine MP for Henley	28 November 1990	11 April 1992	Conservative	Major I
Michael Howard QC MP for Folkestone and Hythe	11 April 1992	27 May 1993	Conservative	Major II
John Gummer MP for Suffolk Coastal	27 May 1993	2 May 1997	Conservative	Major II

Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Portrait		Name	Term of office		Party	Ministry	Ref.
		John Prescott MP for Kingston upon Hull East	2 May 1997	8 June 2001	Labour	Blair I	[2]

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Name	Term of office		Party	Ministry	Ref.
Margaret Beckett MP for Derby South	8 June 2001	5 May 2006	Labour	Blair II & III	[3]
David Miliband MP for South Shields	5 May 2006	27 June 2007	Labour	Blair II & III	[4]
Hilary Benn MP for Leeds Central	28 June 2007	11 May 2010	Labour	Brown	[5]
Caroline Spelman MP for Meriden	12 May 2010	4 September 2012	Conservative	Cameron–Clegg (Con.–L.D.)	[6]
Owen Paterson MP for North Shropshire	4 September 2012	14 July 2014	Conservative		[7]
Elizabeth Truss MP for South West Norfolk	15 July 2014	14 July 2016	Conservative		[8]
Elizabeth Truss MP for South West Norfolk	15 July 2014	14 July 2016	Conservative	Cameron II	[8]
Andrea Leadsom MP for South Northamptonshire	14 July 2016	11 June 2017	Conservative	May I	[9]
Michael Gove MP for Surrey Heath	11 June 2017	24 July 2019	Conservative	May II	[10]
Theresa Villiers MP for Chipping Barnet	24 July 2019	13 February 2020	Conservative	Johnson I	[11]
Theresa Villiers MP for Chipping Barnet	24 July 2019	13 February 2020	Conservative	Johnson II	[11]
George Eustice MP for Camborne and Redruth	13 February 2020	Incumbent	Conservative	Johnson II

"Secretary of State for Environment". Hansard 1803–2005. UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
"Lord Prescott". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
"Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
"Rt Hon David Miliband". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
"Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
"Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
"Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
"Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
"Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
"Rt Hon Michael Gove MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
"Theresa Villiers replaces Gove as Defra secretary". Farmers Weekly. Retrieved 25 July 2019.

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Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Headquarters: Nobel House, Smith Square
Ministers	Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister of State for Food, Farming and the Environment Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Natural and Marine Environment Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs
Non-ministerial	The Water Services Regulation Authority Forestry Commission
Executive agencies	Animal and Plant Health Agency Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Rural Payments Agency Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Non-departmental public bodies	Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Consumer Council for Water Environment Agency Joint Nature Conservation Committee Marine Management Organisation National Forest Company Natural England Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Sea Fish Industry Authority

British Cabinet Portfolios
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
Great Offices of State	Prime Minister / First Lord of the Treasury / Minister for the Civil Service / Minister for the Union Chancellor of the Exchequer / Second Lord of the Treasury Foreign & Commonwealth / First Secretary of State Home
Other Cabinet posts	Leader of the House of Lords / Lord Privy Seal Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster / Minister for the Cabinet Office Minister without portfolio Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Housing, Communities & Local Government Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Defence Education Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Health & Social Care International Development International Trade / President of the Board of Trade Lord Chancellor / Secretary of State for Justice Northern Ireland Scotland Transport Wales Work & Pensions
Also attend Cabinet	Attorney General Chief Secretary to the Treasury Chief Whip Leader of the House of Commons / Lord President of the Council