Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the reduction of animals being subjected to non-stun slaughter is not an objective in their Animal welfare strategy for England, published on 22 December 2025.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter and would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter, but we respect the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs.
An industry-led initiative called the Demonstration of Life Protocol, which the Government supports, provides assurance for Muslim consumers that the stunning of sheep and goats is compatible with halal slaughter requirements, while protecting the welfare of the animals involved and supporting opportunities for trade.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the individuals and communities who consume meat that is slaughtered under the derogation in the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 that applies to non-stun slaughter of meat for religious purposes.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All animals must be stunned before slaughter to make them unconscious and insensible to pain. The only exception to this is when animals are slaughtered in accordance with religious rites. The Government would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter but respects the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs.
No assessment has been made of the individuals and communities who consume meat from animals slaughtered without stunning.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there is sufficient oversight of biosecurity border controls; and whether they plan to provide any further resources to biosecurity border controls, following reports of attempts to smuggle large quantities of meat into the UK illegally.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Protecting UK biosecurity remains paramount, and the Government will do whatever it takes to protect farmers. Defra is continually improving its oversight of operations, and we are undertaking relevant analysis to support ongoing operational oversight and develop further strategic border oversight functions.
Border checks are one component of the border biosecurity system, providing robust assurance that the underlying system of biosecurity controls are working as intended. The system also includes risk assessments, import conditions and health certificates signed by vets in the exporting country. The border checks are important, but they are not the primary mechanism for managing biosecurity risks. Defra has also imposed additional restrictions on imports of animal products, including those for personal consumption, in direct response to animal disease outbreaks in countries we trade with.
Defra officials are working with Border Force and Dover Port Health Authority to assess where enhanced enforcement activity would have the greatest impact. Defra is also discussing additional funding with for Dover Port Health Authority to support operations at Dover, indeed Defra has already invested significantly in additional capacity and has provided over £14.4m since October 2022 for port health authority operations at the port of Dover.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the objectives set out in the Animal welfare strategy for England, published on 22 December 2025, will be applied to religious slaughter practices.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The strategy sets out the Government's ambitious reforms on animal welfare which will improve the lives of millions of animals across the UK. There are no commitments in the strategy that address religious slaughter practices specifically.
The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter. All animals must be stunned before slaughter to make them unconscious and insensible to pain. The only exception to this is when animals are slaughtered in accordance with religious rites, for the food of Muslims and Jews. The Government would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter but respects the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many horses and dogs would have to be put down as a result of a ban on trail hunting; and what assessment they have made of the impact of a trail hunting ban on the rural economy.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting in line with its manifesto commitment. The Government intends to hold a consultation to seek views on how to deliver an effective, enforceable ban. The responses to that consultation will be used to inform the department’s assessment of any potential impacts of a trail hunting ban, including any on the rural economy.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether hospitality sector venues must state when non-stunned meat is being served.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter. All animals must be stunned before slaughter to make them unconscious and insensible to pain. The only exception to this is when animals are slaughtered in accordance with religious rites, for the food of Muslims and Jews.
The Government would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter but respects the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs.
There are no regulations that require the labelling of meat from animals slaughtered without stunning, but the Government expects industry to provide consumers with information on which to make an informed choice about their food. Any information provided on the method of slaughter must be accurate and not misleading to the consumer.
Major retailers have sourcing policies requiring that fresh meat comes from animals that have been stunned before slaughter. They may operate limited concessions for halal or kosher food that will be clearly labelled. Stunning before slaughter is also required by some farm assurance schemes, such as Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured. Restaurants and other food businesses may, on request, advise whether the foods they sell are certified as halal and whether the animals were stunned before slaughter. Under existing rules, all food information provided by out‑of‑home businesses must be accurate and must not mislead consumers.
There are no regulations that prevent meat from animals slaughtered without stunning from being exported. The 2024 Food Standards Agency Slaughter Sector Survey sets out reported destinations for meat, including whether it was exported.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether non-stunned meat is exported from the UK.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter. All animals must be stunned before slaughter to make them unconscious and insensible to pain. The only exception to this is when animals are slaughtered in accordance with religious rites, for the food of Muslims and Jews.
The Government would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter but respects the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs.
There are no regulations that require the labelling of meat from animals slaughtered without stunning, but the Government expects industry to provide consumers with information on which to make an informed choice about their food. Any information provided on the method of slaughter must be accurate and not misleading to the consumer.
Major retailers have sourcing policies requiring that fresh meat comes from animals that have been stunned before slaughter. They may operate limited concessions for halal or kosher food that will be clearly labelled. Stunning before slaughter is also required by some farm assurance schemes, such as Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured. Restaurants and other food businesses may, on request, advise whether the foods they sell are certified as halal and whether the animals were stunned before slaughter. Under existing rules, all food information provided by out‑of‑home businesses must be accurate and must not mislead consumers.
There are no regulations that prevent meat from animals slaughtered without stunning from being exported. The 2024 Food Standards Agency Slaughter Sector Survey sets out reported destinations for meat, including whether it was exported.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether non-stunned meat is sold to the general market; and if so, whether that meat is identified as having been produced by non-stun slaughter.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter. All animals must be stunned before slaughter to make them unconscious and insensible to pain. The only exception to this is when animals are slaughtered in accordance with religious rites, for the food of Muslims and Jews.
The Government would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter but respects the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs.
There are no regulations that require the labelling of meat from animals slaughtered without stunning, but the Government expects industry to provide consumers with information on which to make an informed choice about their food. Any information provided on the method of slaughter must be accurate and not misleading to the consumer.
Major retailers have sourcing policies requiring that fresh meat comes from animals that have been stunned before slaughter. They may operate limited concessions for halal or kosher food that will be clearly labelled. Stunning before slaughter is also required by some farm assurance schemes, such as Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured. Restaurants and other food businesses may, on request, advise whether the foods they sell are certified as halal and whether the animals were stunned before slaughter. Under existing rules, all food information provided by out‑of‑home businesses must be accurate and must not mislead consumers.
There are no regulations that prevent meat from animals slaughtered without stunning from being exported. The 2024 Food Standards Agency Slaughter Sector Survey sets out reported destinations for meat, including whether it was exported.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what controls are in place, if any, to ensure that non-stunned meat is only sold to the relevant religious communities.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter. All animals must be stunned before slaughter to make them unconscious and insensible to pain. The only exception to this is when animals are slaughtered in accordance with religious rites, for the food of Muslims and Jews.
The Government would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter but respects the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs.
There are no regulations that require the labelling of meat from animals slaughtered without stunning, but the Government expects industry to provide consumers with information on which to make an informed choice about their food. Any information provided on the method of slaughter must be accurate and not misleading to the consumer.
Major retailers have sourcing policies requiring that fresh meat comes from animals that have been stunned before slaughter. They may operate limited concessions for halal or kosher food that will be clearly labelled. Stunning before slaughter is also required by some farm assurance schemes, such as Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured. Restaurants and other food businesses may, on request, advise whether the foods they sell are certified as halal and whether the animals were stunned before slaughter. Under existing rules, all food information provided by out‑of‑home businesses must be accurate and must not mislead consumers.
There are no regulations that prevent meat from animals slaughtered without stunning from being exported. The 2024 Food Standards Agency Slaughter Sector Survey sets out reported destinations for meat, including whether it was exported.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether unweaned calves born in the UK are transported to Ireland to be exported to EU countries.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No, there have been no recorded exports of cattle, including unweaned calves, for slaughter or fattening from Great Britain to the EU since 2018. The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024 made it an offence to export livestock and horses for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain.