Animal Cages

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 3:03 pm on 15 December 2021.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 3:03, 15 December 2021

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.