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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will have discussions with representatives from the agricultural industry on (a) animal welfare and (b) ending the use of cages for farm animals; and if he will take steps to publish a strategy for animal protection until 2029.

We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.

We are engaging with key stakeholders as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more details on this in due course.