Environmental regulators operating in Wales: signposting guide
Information and links to the environmental regulators operating in Wales.
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In this page
Agriculture and countryside
Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
Natural Resources Wales (NRW): Responsible for regulating certain impacts of agricultural activities on air, land and water environments and regulating the intensive farming of pigs and poultry.
Agricultural Land Tribunal for Wales
Agricultural Land Tribunal for Wales: Handles disputes relating to agricultural tenancies, land drainage, bad husbandry, fixed equipment, market gardens, long term improvements, and the burning of heather or grass.
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Animal and Plant Health Agency: Responsible for safeguarding animal and plant health for the benefit of people, the economy and the environment.
Cadw
Cadw: Responsible for providing direction for the protection and sustainable management of the historic environment in Wales; designates historic assets of national importance and determines scheduled monument consents. Listed building consents and planning applications affecting historic assets and their settings are managed by local planning authorities in Wales.
Welsh Government
Welsh Government: Plays a role in protecting semi-natural land from adverse agricultural activities through the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Wales) Regulations 2017. Welsh Ministers are responsible for the regulation of the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment. They are also responsible for the authorisation and licencing of field trials of experimental GMOs and the commercial growing and marketing of GMOs in Wales.
Health and Safety Executive
Health and Safety Executive: Responsible for the regulation of pesticides to ensure their use does not adversely affect human health or the environment, by authorising products and the active substances in them and through monitoring and enforcement of their marketing and use. Also responsible for the regulation of work with genetically modified organisms (GMOs)in contained use facilities (e.g. research labs or biotechnology production).
National Park Authorities - Bannau Brycheiniog, Pembrokeshire Coast and Eryri
National Park Authorities – Bannau Brycheiniog, Pembrokeshire Coast and Eryri: These bodies have a regulatory role within the confines of the park boundaries including in their Local Planning Authority role.
The Police
The Police: Prevent and investigate wildlife offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales: An independent body considering complaints from individuals who have suffered personal injustice because of maladministration in public services.
Air, noise, odour and vibration, industry
Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
Natural Resources Wales (NRW): Responsible for regulating industrial facilities (for example, steel, chemicals manufacture, food and drink, cement and combustion) to minimise their effect on air, water and land by ensuring they comply with relevant legal obligations.
Local Authorities
Responsible for environmental health legislation, including pollution control, noise and other forms of statutory nuisance to protect and improve public health and the environment.
Office for Product Safety and Standards
Office for Product Safety and Standards: Enforces regulations relating to heavy metals, marking requirements for rubber and plastic parts, noise reduction equipment etc.
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales: An independent body considering complaints from individuals who have suffered personal injustice because of maladministration in public services.
Biodiversity and species
Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
Natural Resources Wales (NRW): Responsible for a range of regulatory regimes in relation to biodiversity and species, including under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017; the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2020; and specific regulations for individual species (for example, badgers, deer, seals, etc.).
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Animal and Plant Health Agency: Controls and monitors endemic and exotic diseases in animals and plants; regulates the international trade in products of animal and plant origin; and protects endangered species through licensing and registration.
National Park Authorities - Bannau Brycheiniog, Pembrokeshire Coast and Eryri
National Park Authorities – Bannau Brycheiniog, Pembrokeshire Coast and Eryri: These bodies have a regulatory role within the confines of the park boundaries including in their Local Planning Authority role.
The Police
The Police: Plays a lead role in preventing and investigating wildlife offences. For example, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales: An independent body considering complaints from individuals who have suffered personal injustice because of maladministration in public services.
Fisheries
Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
Fisheries
NRW has a duty under section 6(6) of the Environment Act 1995 “to maintain, improve and develop fisheries of salmon, trout, eels, lampreys, smelt and freshwater fish”. This includes setting byelaws to regulate angling and the sale of rod licences, the regulation and licencing of net fishing, facilitating and regulating for the free passage of migratory fish and eels and controlling the movement and introduction of fish to inland waters.
Cockles
NRW are grantees of 2 Cockle Regulating Orders that cover the Burry Inlet (wholly in Wales) and the Dee Estuary (cross border with England where NRW are joint grantees with the Environment Agency but where NRW lead). These limit cockle gathering and allow additional management measures. These Orders are time limited with the Burry Inlet Cockle Regulating Order ending in 2025 and the Dee Estuary Cockle Regulating Order ending in 2028.
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Animal and Plant Health Agency: Play a role in ensuring that people have trust in the way their food is produced.
Fish Health Inspectorate
Fish Health Inspectorate: Responsible for preventing the introduction and spread of serious diseases in fish, shellfish and crustacea.
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales: An independent body considering complaints from individuals who have suffered personal injustice because of maladministration in public services.
Woodland and trees
Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
Natural Resources Wales (NRW): Issues permits for tree planting and felling and consents to Environmental Impact Assessments for forestry activity.
Local Authorities
Local Authorities: Have the power to protect trees through tree preservation orders.
National Park Authorities - Bannau Brycheiniog, Pembrokeshire Coast and Eryri
National Park Authorities – Bannau Brycheiniog, Pembrokeshire Coast and Eryri: These bodies have a regulatory role within the confines of the park boundaries including in their Local Planning Authority role.
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales: An independent body considering complaints from individuals who have suffered personal injustice because of maladministration in public services.
Nuclear
Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
Natural Resources Wales (NRW): Responsible for regulating the nuclear industry on environmental matters such as disposals and discharges of radioactive waste, discharges of cooling water and operation of standby generators.
Office for Nuclear Regulation
Office for Nuclear Regulation: The UK’s independent nuclear regulator for safety, security and safeguards. Currently regulates 35 licensed nuclear sites across Great Britain. In Wales, ONR is responsible for regulating the decommissioning activities at the Trawsfynydd and Wylfa sites. ONR is also responsible for regulating the transport of nuclear materials.
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales: An independent body considering complaints from individuals who have suffered personal injustice because of maladministration in public services.
Waste management and chemicals
Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
Waste Management
Responsible for regulating the storage, treatment, recovery, recycling and disposal of waste.
Chemicals
Competent authority in Wales for the Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), Mercury and Persistent Organic Pollutant (POPs) Regulations and an enforcing authority for some aspects of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations.
The Coal Authority
The Coal Authority: Manages the effects of past coal mining activities, including safety and subsidence issues and water pollution.
Health and Safety Executive
Health and Safety Executive: Chemical and pesticides agency for Great Britain following EU exit (including Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, & restriction of Chemicals (REACH), Classification, Labelling and Packaging(CLP), Plant Protection Products (PPP) and Biocides). Responsible for Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations to ensure that all businesses take measures to prevent accidents involving dangerous substances.
Local Authorities
Responsible for keeping public land clear of waste and refuse. Deals with fly-tipping, as well as minor offences (dog fouling, littering, etc).
Office for Product Safety and Standards
Office for Product Safety and Standards: Regulates waste portable batteries & Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) takeback processes - ensuring compliance of distributors. Requirements for National Waste packaging database for producers of automotive and industrial batteries. Also covers regulation regarding end-of-life vehicles (ELV).
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales: An independent body considering complaints from individuals who have suffered personal injustice because of maladministration in public services.
Water and marine
Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
Water
Responsible for water planning and working with others to ensure that water quality is protected and enhanced; ensuring proper use of water resources in Wales and that there is enough good quality water for all needs; regulating discharges into water (surface and groundwater), as well as water abstractions and impoundments.
Marine
Responsible for administering marine licenses on behalf of Welsh Ministers under the Marine and Coastal Access Act and the Welsh National Marine Plan.
Cardiff Harbour Authority
Cardiff Harbour Authority: Responsible for managing all environmental aspects of Cardiff Bay, including water quality and monitoring groundwater in designated areas.
The Coal Authority
The Coal Authority: Manages the effects of past coal mining activities, including safety and subsidence issues and water pollution.
Drinking Water Inspectorate
Drinking Water Inspectorate: Independent regulator of drinking water quality in England and Wales.
National Park Authorities - Bannau Brycheiniog, Pembrokeshire Coast and Eryri
National Park Authorities – Bannau Brycheiniog, Pembrokeshire Coast and Eryri: These bodies have a regulatory role within the confines of the park boundaries including in their Local Planning Authority role.
Ofwat
Ofwat: Economic regulator responsible for ensuring that water companies properly finance and carry out their statutory functions. However, in Wales, NRW is primarily responsible for environmental regulation.
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales
Public Service Ombudsman for Wales: An independent body considering complaints from individuals who have suffered personal injustice because of maladministration in public services.