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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of electric shock collars on the welfare of livestock.

All livestock are protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation: the Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence either to cause any captive animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of the animal; and The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 set down detailed requirements on how farmed livestock should be kept. Defra also has a series of statutory species-specific welfare codes, which farmers are required by law to have access to and be familiar with, which encourage high standards of husbandry.

We have considered the Animal Welfare Committee’s opinion on the welfare implications of using virtual fencing systems on livestock, where livestock are fitted with electronic collars as part of a system for containing, monitoring and moving livestock. We are taking account of the Committee’s advice and plan to revise the Code of Practice for the welfare of cattle accordingly.