Land - soil and contamination

These pages provide details of Defra's work on soil, and on contaminated land.

These subjects are closely interlinked, with land contamination being one of the various threats to soil. This linkage is also reflected at European Union level, under the Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection.

Soil

Soil policy deals with many different aspects of soil, including the functions that soil performs, and how we can address the various threats to soil.

The First Soil Action Plan for England (published in May 2004) underpins this area of Defra's work. The European Commission are also working on proposals for soil.

• Soil

Contaminated land

Land contamination is covered by a separate of series of pages, because it is an extensive subject in its own right, with its own legislation, policy and technical material such as soil guideline values.

Land contamination can pose both environmental and human health concerns.

• Contaminated land