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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) farmers and (b) farming organisations on a timescale for banning cages for livestock.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department has engaged with key stakeholders as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welfare.

The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.