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1627242

registered interest
date	12/05/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Poultry: Animal Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 173051, what steps her Department have taken to examine the use of cages for laying hens.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	184809
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2023 answer text <p>We are providing a range of financial incentives for improving animal health and welfare to farmers through the new Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. These incentives focus on published health and welfare priorities for each sector and will include support for farmers wishing to transition away from the use of enriched ‘colony’ cages for laying hens.</p><p> </p><p>Specifically, we are exploring options for large infrastructure grants, building on the animal health and welfare grants already available towards the cost of equipment and technology which offer improvements in the health and welfare of livestock.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 17/05/2023 14:16:17 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1627243

registered interest
date	12/05/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Agriculture: Animal Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to provide funding to farmers to transition to cage-free farming systems in 2023.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	184810
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2023 answer text <p>We are providing a range of financial incentives for improving animal health and welfare to farmers through the new Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. These incentives focus on published health and welfare priorities for each sector and will include support for farmers wishing to transition away from the use of enriched ‘colony’ cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs.</p><p> </p><p>Specifically, we are exploring options for large infrastructure grants, building on the animal health and welfare grants already available towards the cost of equipment and technology which offer improvements in the health and welfare of livestock.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 17/05/2023 14:12:37 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1627244

registered interest
date	12/05/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Poultry: Animal Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of undercover investigation footage from Carr Farm in East Yorkshire published by the Daily Mail newspaper on 14 April 2023.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	184811
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2023 answer text <p>All livestock are protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation: the Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence either to cause any captive animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of the animal; and The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 set down detailed requirements on how farmed livestock should be kept. Breaches of animal welfare legislation are taken very seriously and every allegation that is reported to us is investigated.</p><p> </p><p>Appropriate action is taken where welfare regulations are breached. It is imperative that any suspicion of animal cruelty is alerted to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) in the first instance, so that timely investigations can take place and the welfare of animals can be safeguarded.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 17/05/2023 14:19:50 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1627245

registered interest
date	12/05/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Poultry: Animal Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2023 to Question 179978 on Poultry: Animal Housing, if she will make an estimate of the costs to industry of a ban on the use of cages for laying hens.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	184812
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2023 answer text <p>There are no current plans to estimate the cost to industry of a ban on the use of cages for laying hens.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 17/05/2023 14:09:27 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1625653

registered interest
date	03/05/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Fishing Vessels
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that pelagic supertrawlers licensed to fish in UK waters are fulfilling their legal duty to report marine mammal bycatch to the Marine Management Organisation.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	183697
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2023 answer text <p>The UK introduced new rules in 2021 making it a mandatory requirement under fishing vessel licence conditions for fishers to report any marine mammal bycatch to the MMO. On the introduction of this requirement, communications were sent out by Defra, the Devolved Administrations and the MMO to ensure that industry understood the new obligations. Responsibility for enforcing licence conditions in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the Devolved Administrations.</p><p> </p><p>The Sea Mammal Research Unit have carried out monitoring of pelagic trawlers targeting herring and mackerel for a number of years and reported no bycatch of marine mammals in these fisheries in recent years, whilst other sections of the UK pelagic fleet are working on bycatch mitigation projects to reduce the likelihood of these events occurring more broadly.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 15/05/2023 11:45:59 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1609919

registered interest
date	14/04/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Dogs: Animal Breeding
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 158888 on Dogs: Animal Breeding, how many local authorities have failed to provide their annual return detailing the number of dog breeding licences issued under their authority.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	180052
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2023 answer text <p>For the 2021-22 reporting period, my Department received returns from 233 local authorities in England, which represents a doubling of the response rate from the previous year.</p><p> </p><p>My Department asks all local authorities to complete their returns in full. The 2022-23 data return opened on 1st April and will run until 31st May. This year, my officials have used multiple platforms to remind local authorities of their obligation to provide their returns and of the benefits of doing so.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 180053 180054 question first answered 20/04/2023 10:39:06 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1609920

registered interest
date	14/04/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Dogs: Animal Breeding
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 158888 on Dogs: Animal Breeding, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of adherence of local authorities to mandatory reporting of licenced dog breeders in their annual returns.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	180053
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2023 answer text <p>For the 2021-22 reporting period, my Department received returns from 233 local authorities in England, which represents a doubling of the response rate from the previous year.</p><p> </p><p>My Department asks all local authorities to complete their returns in full. The 2022-23 data return opened on 1st April and will run until 31st May. This year, my officials have used multiple platforms to remind local authorities of their obligation to provide their returns and of the benefits of doing so.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 180052 180054 question first answered 20/04/2023 10:39:06 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1609921

registered interest
date	14/04/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Dogs: Animal Breeding
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 158888 on Dogs: Animal Breeding, which local authorities have failed to provide annual returns detailing the number of licenced dog breeders under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	180054
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2023 answer text <p>For the 2021-22 reporting period, my Department received returns from 233 local authorities in England, which represents a doubling of the response rate from the previous year.</p><p> </p><p>My Department asks all local authorities to complete their returns in full. The 2022-23 data return opened on 1st April and will run until 31st May. This year, my officials have used multiple platforms to remind local authorities of their obligation to provide their returns and of the benefits of doing so.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 180052 180053 question first answered 20/04/2023 10:39:06 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1605595

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to publish a consultation on food labelling.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	169248
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2023 answer text <p>The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. The Government is committed to optimising the information that is available to consumers.</p><p> </p><p>For example, in 2021 Defra ran a call for evidence to gather data on the potential impacts of different types of labelling reform for animal welfare. A summary of these responses is available on GOV.UK. Based on the evidence provided, Defra committed in the Government’s Food Strategy to consult on improving and expanding mandatory animal welfare labelling in 2023.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 22/03/2023 17:41:44 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1601323

registered interest
date	06/03/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Dogs: Animal Breeding
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licensed dog breeders there were in England as of 1 March 2023; and how many of those breed more than three litters a year.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	158888
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2023 answer text <p>Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, local authorities are required to provide an annual return detailing the number of licences in force on 1<sup>st</sup> April each year, and the average fees associated with the grant or renewal of each licence. There is no requirement for local authorities to provide information on licence holders’ commercial activities, such as the number of litters bred by a licenced dog breeder. Under the 2018 Regulations, local authorities have until 31<sup>st</sup> May each year to provide their returns. Data from 2022 is published by Defra and can be found here: <a href="https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/525058ee-73c6-4cf9-8641-291999ace395/local-authority-licensing-of-activities-involving-animals-returns" target="_blank">Local Authority Licensing of Activities involving Animals returns - data.gov.uk</a></p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 10/03/2023 14:04:21 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith