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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department last updated rules for (a) zoos and (b) aquariums on animal welfare.

The Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice were last updated in 2012. Defra is currently in the process of updating these standards, to ensure all animals in zoos and aquariums are kept in conditions that reflect latest best practice. The draft updated standards were consulted on in 2022, and further discussions have been held with the sector. An updated version of the standards will be published in due course.