Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of game farms in England and Wales using un-enriched raised laying cages for partridge breeding pairs; and what steps she is taking to prevent such practices.

No estimate has been made of the number of game farms using un-enriched cages for breeding partridges in breach of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes.

However, four game farms have been inspected as a result of welfare concerns since June 2014. The Defra funded research into cage-based breeding for game birds will be published in due course and will be used to help inform the review of the gamebirds code of practice.