Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's timetable is on making a decision on whether to introduce a ban on the importation of foie gras.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and is committed to delivering the most ambitious animal welfare programme in a generation, as set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy.
It has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns. Production using force feeding has been banned in the UK for nearly 20 years as it is not compatible with our animal welfare legislation.
This Government remains committed to maintaining and enhancing animal welfare standards and recognises the strength of public feeling on this issue.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's document entitled Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals: Great Britain 2025, updated on 9 July 2026, for what reason harms arising from transportation are excluded from severity assessments, including for cynomolgus monkeys born in Africa or Asia used in procedures; and whether she plans to revise the severity assessment framework to include such harms in future.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, severity assessments measure harms to an animal during a regulated procedure and reflect the highest severity experienced during that procedure, including any cumulative procedural effects. Harms arising from non-procedural events, such as transport and housing, are therefore not within the scope of the severity assessment framework. These matters are instead addressed through separate welfare, transport, licensing and care requirements.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the commitment in the Animal Welfare Strategy for England to introduce humane slaughter requirements for farmed fish, when the Government plans to launch its consultation; whether the consultation will cover recommendations 96, 98 to 101, 106 and 107 of the Animal Welfare Committee’s updated opinion on farmed fish at the time of killing; and by what date she expects legislation to be in force.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As laid out in the Animal Welfare Strategy, and following the Animal Welfare Committee’s report on the topic, we will consult on introducing humane slaughter requirements for farmed fish into legislation. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference her Department's document entitled Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals: Great Britain 2025, updated on 9 July 2026, what assessment she has made of the reasons for (a) the increase in procedures for the routine production of monoclonal antibodies compared with 2024 and (b) the use of horses in 14 such procedures in 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office identified an error in the data tables accompanying the 2025 Annual Statistics relating to the number of procedures reported for the routine production of monoclonal antibodies. The figures published in the data tables did not accurately reflect the activity undertaken, and an unscheduled revision has now been issued. The Annual Statistics report itself was unaffected and correctly stated that no procedures for the routine production of monoclonal antibodies were carried out in 2025.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether funding for a new laboratory at Porton Down for research into protection against biological threats, as announced in The Defence Investment Plan, will fund, support or increase the use of animals in testing or research.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl is committed to the principles of Reduction, Replacement and Refinement (‘the 3Rs’) in its use of laboratory animals. The possibility of using alternative methodologies is considered as part of the initial planning of every proposed project, and Home Office licences for animal experimentation are only granted under ASPA if significant benefits will be gained from the research, and all alternative approaches have been carefully considered and implemented where scientifically feasible.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ensure that the new laboratory at DSTL Porton Down, as announced in The Defence Investment Plan, utilises human-relevant new approach technologies, rather than the use of animals.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl is committed to the principles of Reduction, Replacement and Refinement (‘the 3Rs’) in its use of laboratory animals. The possibility of using alternative methodologies is considered as part of the initial planning of every proposed project, and Home Office licences for animal experimentation are only granted under ASPA if significant benefits will be gained from the research, and all alternative approaches have been carefully considered and implemented where scientifically feasible.