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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to phase out the use of high concentration carbon dioxide gas for the stunning of livestock in abattoirs.

The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter. We understand that there is a pressing need to address the welfare concerns associated with this method of stunning pigs.

The Animal Welfare Committee has carried out an up-to-date and comprehensive animal welfare assessment of the evidence on high concentration carbon dioxide stunning of pigs and alternative pig stunning methods. The Committee carefully considered the evidence and provided their report to the UK Government, and Scottish and Welsh Governments, in July which we are now considering.