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, including proposals for a Soil Framework Directive.
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.
Domestically, the First Soil Action Plan for England (published in May 2004) underpins this area of Defra's work. In Europe, the European Commission have published a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection, including proposals for a Soil Framework Directive.
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.
Page last
modified: 27 July 2007
Page published: 18 August 2003