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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has plans to improve animal welfare protections for farmed fish in the UK.

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any protected animal, or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of an animal, including fish, for which that person is responsible

There is also legislation on the protection of animals at the time of killing which requires that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations.

As part of HM Government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are considering improvements that could be made to the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing. To inform this work, we have asked the Animal Welfare Committee for advice, and this is expected before the end of the year.