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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has considered the potential merits of including cephalopods in the core protections of the Animal Welfare Act 2026.

Defra set out in its Animal Welfare Strategy that the department will develop the evidence base through research and continued stakeholder engagement. This work is ongoing and the Government will keep the legislative position under review, as is standard practice.