Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the Government's welfare standards are for adequate lairage for TB reactor cattle which are kept overnight.

The animal welfare standards for TB reactor cattle kept overnight are the same as for any other cattle sent to slaughter for human consumption.

These standards are available in Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing. Annex III of the Regulation states:

- Animals which have not been slaughtered within 12 hours of their arrival must be fed, and subsequently given moderate amounts of food at appropriate intervals (usually every 12 hours). In such cases, the animals shall be provided an appropriate amount of bedding or equivalent material which guarantees a level of comfort appropriate to the species and the number of animals concerned. This material shall guarantee an efficient drainage or ensure adequate absorption of urine and faeces.

- Arrangements must be made for milking dairy animals at intervals of not more than 12 hours.

- Animals which are not taken directly to the place of slaughter after being unloaded must have drinking water available to them from appropriate facilities at all times.

Regulation 853/2004, Annex III, Section I, Chapter II, regarding the requirements for slaughterhouses, also states for lairages that:

- Adequate and hygienic lairage facilities must be equipped for watering the animals and, if necessary, feeding them.