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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban (1) sales, and (2) imports, of foie gras.

The Government has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese raises serious welfare concerns.

Production is banned in the UK as it is incompatible with domestic legislation including the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which makes it a criminal offence not to provide for an animal's welfare needs and to allow an animal to suffer unnecessarily.

Now our future relationship with the European Union has been established the Government is considering the further steps it could take in relation to foie gras.