Report fraud and corruption to APHA

If you know or suspect that someone has committed fraud or corruption in relation to the safeguarding of animal and plant health, you must report them to APHA.

You can report:

• theft or misuse of assets and property
• ‘false representation’ meaning lying or hiding information and facts
• procurement, contractual, credit, or payment fraud
• payroll fraud and errors in allowances
• misuse of Defra property or services such as commercial vehicles, hire cars, plant and equipment
• cybercrime and identity related fraud

We will treat all information provided to us in confidence (privately) and in accordance with our obligations under data protection legislation.

How to send a report

You can send information anonymously, but this limits our ability to investigate and provide feedback.

Make the report as soon as you become aware of or suspect something.

Telephone:

• in the UK: 03459 33 55 77
• outside the UK: +44 20 7238 6951 

Email: defra.helpline@defra.gov.uk

Post:

What to include

Do not try to gather more supporting evidence without contacting us first. Doing this may put you at risk and could invalidate investigations by us or the police.

You can ask for anonymity, but we may not be able to guarantee it, for example in a criminal case. We will contact you to discuss any likelihood of disclosure of your identity. 

When sending the report, include:

• your full name and contact details
• a description of the issue - include as much information as you can such as significance or value, names, dates, times, locations, contract details, payments
• whether the issue has been reported before
• whether you have any documentation or other evidence – do not send this yet, we may ask for it at a later date

How we protect whistleblowers

You may be acting as a whistleblower (usually an employee of the organisation or company you’re reporting). In this case, we will do our best to keep your identity confidential from your employer or managers, unless you choose otherwise.

If you’re an employee of Defra Group, refer to the whistleblowing guidance on the relevant staff intranet for more information on protections.

If you are not sure whether a disclosure is protected, you should get independent advice.

Reporting fraud to others

There are also other organisations who may investigate or give advice.

Contact the police if you suspect a crime has been committed.

Contact HMRC if you have concerns related to tax, for example money laundering and tax evasion.

You can also report fraud, phishing and scams to Action Fraud.