Defra accused of 'skewed priorities'

Defra changed the colour of the site because a focus group said it contained too much brown and looked ‘too agricultural’.

Countryside Alliance chief executive Simon Hart said: “It is right that Defra wants to keep its website design current and relevant, but £180,000 on a redesign shows skewed priorities on where they are spending our money.

“The farming community will rightly be asking serious questions about its own department’s commitment to the industry. Focus groups and six figure bills for a website are not what farming is crying out for.”

Defra said the redesign came following research which indicated the old site did not reflect its full remit.

A spokesperson said while farming remained one of Defra’s priorities, it was not the sole remit of the department.

Defra also defended the cost of the website, claiming with much of the work carried out in-house it was a ‘fraction of the cost of most website redesigns’.

A spokesperson said: “This is the first time website has been significantly re-designed since Defra’s creation in 2001. Use and expectations of the internet has increased exponentially in that time and as a Government department we need to be able to respond to that.

“It is important that Defra has a user-friendly website that is accessible to all of its stakeholders, not just farmers. In today’s modern world, the internet is a key source of information which many people have access to and Defra needs to be able communicate with these audiences effectively in an engaging format.”

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