8. Will the Minister provide an update on the implementation of the Welsh Government's pledge to restrict the use of cages for farmed animals? OQ57365

Thank you. The Welsh Government is committed to restricting the use of cages for farmed animals. We are working with other administrations to look at how and where they are used, and to what extent. We are also considering the welfare impacts of existing and alternative systems.

In June this year, the European Commission announced that they would phase out cage systems for a number of different farm animals, and that came about as a result of a European citizens initiative, End the Cage Age, which was supported by 1.4 million citizens, and 54,000 of them were from the UK. In Wales, many farmed animals are still confined to cages, including sows in farrowing crates, laying hens, game birds and rabbits. End the Cage Age say that over 16 million animals in the UK live in a cage system. The European Commission have committed to bringing forward a legislative proposal by the end of 2023 to phase out and finally prohibit the use of cages for hens, mother pigs, calves, rabbits, ducks and geese, and other animals as well. They've committed to phasing out the use of cages for farmed animals by 2027. Minister, is this something that the Welsh Government might consider doing in order to improve the welfare of all farmed animals in Wales?

Thank you, and I think Joyce raises a very important point. We've got a really strong track record for raising the bar when it comes to farm animal welfare. You referred to sow stalls for pigs and veal crates for calves—they're banned—and battery cages for laying hens. We really want to continue to build on this, and that's why our programme for government includes a commitment to restrict the use of cages for farmed animals. The regulations that we have at the moment are from 2007, but they do set down detailed conditions under which farmed animals must be kept. So, as I mentioned in my earlier answer, we are working very closely with other administrations to consider how we can further improve our already very high standards of farmed animal welfare by examining, for instance, the use of enriched cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs. We're really going to consider the impact on the welfare of the animals, the industry, the commercial availability of alternative systems, as well as the impact on consumers, trade and, importantly, the environment.