I welcome the action taken by the last Government to improve animal welfare, such as banning the export of live animals, including pigs, for fattening or slaughter, with the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024, and increasing the maximum prison sentence for animal cruelty from six months to five years with the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021. Pivotally, animal sentience was enshrined in law through the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, thereby establishing the Animal Sentience Committee, which ensures that any new legislation pays due regard to animal welfare.
I support banning cages or close confinement systems where clear scientific evidence demonstrates that they are detrimental to animal and bird health and welfare. That is in keeping with much of the UK’s existing legislation on the use of cages and crates, including: the ban on keeping calves in veal crates, introduced in 1990; the ban on keeping sows in close confinement stalls, introduced in 1999; and the ban on the use of battery cages for laying hens, introduced in 2012.
The Animal Welfare Strategy outlined that the Government will explore how to transition away from the use of farrowing crates to alternative systems: either flexible farrowing where the sow is confined for the crucial few days around farrowing, or free farrowing where there is no confinement during farrowing or lactation and consult on the transition. I hope that, as part of this work, the Government engages closely with farmers to allow a viable and sensible transition that promotes sow and piglet welfare, and protects the sustainability of pig farming.
I hope that the Government works productively with the farming community to ensure any reforms are affordable, practical, effective and, at their heart, promote animal welfare.