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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce a ban on all live animal exports.

The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024 came into force on 22 July 2024. The Act bans the export of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and horses for fattening or slaughter from Great Britain, stopping stress, exhaustion and injury caused by this unnecessary trade. It applies to journeys from, and transiting journeys through, Great Britain to destinations outside the UK, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. We are putting in place Regulations to ensure the ban is implemented effectively and enforced robustly. The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Enforcement Regulations 2024 have been laid before Parliament.

Exports for all purposes other than slaughter or fattening, such as for breeding, competitions and shows, or scientific research, continue to be permitted.