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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the welfare of animals at livestock auctions.

The Welfare of Animals at Markets Order 1990 covers the care of animals whilst at livestock auctions. In addition, all animals being transported for a commercial purpose to, and from, a livestock market are covered under regulations on the protection of animals during transport.

We launched a consultation in England and Wales in 2020 on improvements to the animal welfare in transport regime. We published our response on 18 August, outlining how we propose to take improvements forward.

We will work closely with industry, NGOs and other stakeholders on our proposed policies to develop practical and workable solutions to improve animal welfare standards.