Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Cyprus about the killing of migrant birds.

The UK Government opposes the illegal trapping of birds, which is a widespread issue across the whole of Cyprus. Whilst songbirds are a protected species under Cypriot law, trapping and eating song birds unfortunately remains a practice in some Cypriot communities, and substantial profits can still be made by those who organise and control this activity. The Government has conveyed the strength of UK public concern to the Government of Cyprus, including during a May 2019 visit by the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey. The UK and the Republic of Cyprus will continue to work together on the issue.