Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of those releasing gamebirds under licence in England on (1) special areas of conservation, and (2) special protection areas, or within 500 metres of their boundaries, have registered their birds on the poultry register.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) can identify the number of gamebird locations recorded on the poultry register within Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and within 500 metres of their boundaries. However, this Government does not hold details of those releasing gamebirds under licence in a form that allows the percentage requested to be calculated.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ban the breeding of wildcat hybrids in light of animal welfare concerns.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of delivering the Animal Welfare Strategy, which was published on 22 December 2025, this Government will take steps to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding. Defra officials are drawing on expertise from the sector and considering any further steps which may improve welfare practices.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (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 welfare implications of breeding wildcat hybrids.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of delivering the Animal Welfare Strategy, which was published on 22 December 2025, this Government will take steps to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding. Defra officials are drawing on expertise from the sector and considering any further steps which may improve welfare practices.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government for what reason captive bred pheasants released and managed for shooting are considered wild birds under avian influenza rules; and what plans they have to reconsult on this classification.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In the event of a confirmed case of notifiable avian disease in gamebirds, The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) makes an assessment of whether the gamebirds are considered for the purposes of disease control to be kept poultry or wild birds. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. If there is uncertainty of their status this is escalated to Defra for a final decision. Under disease control legislation “wild game bird” means a wild bird which lives freely in the wild and is hunted for human consumption.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government which notifiable diseases have been confirmed in (1) pheasants, and (2) red-legged partridges, in the last five years; and whether there is evidence of transmission to wild birds for any of these diseases.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In the last five years there have confirmed cases of both low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on premises containing pheasants. Some premises confirmed with HPAI and LPAI have also had red-legged partridges. There have also been findings in both species in found dead wild birds tested as part of wild bird surveillance.
Epidemiological investigations at infected premises did not find any evidence to support likely transmission from farmed gamebirds to wild birds on these premises.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Minister in the House of Commons has responsibility for non-farmed animal welfare.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Minister of State (Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs), Dame Angela Eagle DBE MP, has responsibility for animal welfare in the House of Commons.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (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 highly pathogen avian influenza risk that released gamebirds pose to (1) wild birds outside of special protection areas, (2) poultry, (3) mammal livestock, and (4) wild mammals, in England.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra, in conjunction with Welsh Government and Scottish Government, commissioned a risk assessment from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), to further understand the impact game bird releases have on transmission of avian influenza in wild birds, and between wild birds and kept birds in periods of higher than usual levels of avian influenza. This risk assessment is published on gov.uk as part of the ‘Animal diseases: international and UK monitoring’ collection.
Furthermore, a risk assessment of the likely transmission of Avian Influenza from Livestock to Humans was undertaken by Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) group, and concluded that the probability of infection in the UK population is considered very low.
This assessment has informed disease controls. During outbreaks, there are controls on the release of game birds in areas of known high risk. The release of game birds is not permitted in any avian influenza disease control zone, nor are game bird releases permitted while an avian influenza prevention zone, including mandatory housing measures, is in force.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have spent on (1) compensation, (2) disinfection of premises, and (3) other costs, associated with avian flu outbreaks at (a) poultry, and (b) game, farms in the 2024–25 season.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Please see costs for the Avian Flu outbreaks in the 2024–25 season (1 October 2024 – 30 September 2025).
Outbreak Year 2024 - 25
| England | Scotland | Wales | Total |
Compensation | £19,368,932.22 | £290,770.66 | £262,798.64 | £19,922,501.52 |
Poultry Culling | £4,468,075 | £88,230 | £156,584 | £4,712,889 |
Transport & Disposal | £1,185,486 | £17,330 | £20,744 | £1,223,560 |
Valuation | £18,480 | £50 | £2,793 | £21,323 |
Carcase Pick-up | £1,486,783 | £24,120 | £0 | £1,510,903 |
Plant & Equipment Hire | £1,220,000 |
|
| £1,220,000 |
APHA Additional Staffing Costs | £1,535,702 |
|
| £1,535,702 |
Total | £29,160,312 | £129,730 | £180,121 | £30,146,879 |
Note:
I. The costs to His Majesty's Government are for England total, as Devolved Governments recharged costs.
II. The figures do not include:
o the split between poultry and game because data is not disaggregated by these categories
o the split between disinfection and other costs because data is not disaggregated by these categories
III. It is possible that some of these costs will change as there may be late submissions of invoices and some data are subject to review and audit.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce requirements for gamebird shoots in areas in England outside of European sites (1) to have a vet inspect reared gamebirds for signs of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) before release, (2) to report mortality or suspicion of HPAI in released gamebirds, and (3) to remove dead released gamebirds.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) currently in force throughout the whole of England was updated to include additional biosecurity measures for game bird operations on 26 August 2025. These measures reflect the specific disease risks associated with the game bird and shooting sector during the gamebird release season and are intended to protect both wild and captive bird populations.
Within the AIPZ, birds must not be put in a release pen if they show signs of avian influenza. Game birds kept in release pens must be checked daily and any birds showing clinical signs suggestive of avian influenza must receive immediate and appropriate attention, including discussing the clinical signs with a veterinary surgeon. Any suspicion of avian influenza must be reported to the Animal and Plant Health Agency immediately. Keepers must also conduct a daily search of the area within and up to a 50-metre radius surrounding the release pen(s) and feeding and watering stations, for carcases of dead game birds and/or dead wild birds. These should be reported to Defra using the online reporting service for dead wild birds. If carcases are not required for avian influenza surveillance, the carcases must be appropriately disposed of (see attached).
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce legislation to ban the use of horticultural peat for amateur gardeners.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministers are committed to protecting our nature-rich habitats, including peat bogs and are looking at next steps for measures to end the use of peat in horticulture.