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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to determine the future of Animal Health and Welfare Pathway grants to support the transition to cage free systems for laying hens.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and will continue to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are considering very carefully.

The Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare Grant, part of the broader Animal Health & Welfare Pathway, recently offered funding to commercial laying hen and pullet keepers in England to refurbish or replace housing, including for those transitioning from colony cages to high-welfare non-cage systems. The first stage of the application process closed in September 2024 with eligible applicants invited to submit a full application. Due to the extended timeframe of the grant, data regarding the assessment of potential impacts is not available.