Government officials mark communications handling documents with sensitive information OFFICIAL SENSITIVE and only share on a need-to-know basis for colleagues delivering the work. On the day prior to an announcement, we circulate the lines to take and handling approach more widely to Defra and arm’s length body customer/stakeholder-facing colleagues so they can prepare for the announcement. The Farming Advice Service (FAS) is provided with regular updates both in advance and following public announcements. For example, they receive embargoed Press Notices in advance of announcements from Defra’s Press Office Team, and following each announcement, key information is shared from the Farming and Countryside Programme’s Engagement team. Defra’s Farming Communications team submits contributions for the FAS monthly newsletter every month, covering a range of topics for farmers to be aware of, including announcements made in that month. The Environment Agency, Catchment Sensitive Farming (Natural England) and the Forestry Commission all work closely with the FAS; they also submit contributions including on abstraction licenses, water resources, reducing pollution & runoff, and upcoming grants for tree planting available to farmers. Prior to publication, the FAS newsletter is shared round with key external stakeholders and copy providers to ensure information is accurate. We regularly review our communications protocols to ensure we strike the right balance between providing advance information to those who need to manage sector inquiries and that we make announcements in an appropriate and timely manner.