Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether they plan to increase the £20 million allocated for preclinical translational model's hub, to the corrected £30 million, as was promised in the ‘Replacing Animals in science’ policy paper in November 2025.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Replacing Animals in Science strategy, published in November 2025, committed to setting up a Pre-clinical Translational Models Hub which included an institute and translational networks. UK Research and Innovation has subsequently committed £20 million through the Medical Research Council to establish the institute and the remaining funding will be used to establish the networks.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when a consultation on phasing out farrowing crates will be published; and what consideration is being given to how replacement farrowing systems will (a) impact welfare outcomes, (b) meet public demand for cage-free farming, and (c) support the long-term viability of the pig farming sector.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We want to work with the industry to help them transition away from the use of farrowing crates to alternative systems over a sustainable period: either flexible farrowing or free farrowing and we will consult on this issue in due course, likely in early 2027. The consultation will cover pig welfare in alternative systems and an impact assessment of the proposals including the viability of the sector.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Naturewatch Foundation's press release entitled Shocking new figures suggest just 10.5-14% dog breeding is regulated, published on 21 September 2026, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the traceability of dogs kept for breeding.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government published its Animal Welfare Strategy in December 2025, outlining plans to take coordinated action to improve the welfare of pets. This includes committing to ending puppy farming and the low welfare breeding of dogs. This Government will improve traceability and welfare by consulting on dog breeding reform.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the answer of 20 July 2026 to Question UIN HL1988, what the results were of the commercial in-ovo sexing trial which took place last year in a UK hatchery.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government understands that this activity did not constitute a commercial-scale trial but rather the trial of a small, commercially available unit to help the egg industry better understand the operation of the technology and any logistical constraints relating to its installation. We are not aware of any industry proposals for future trials involving this or any other in-ovo sexing technology.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Department will consider conducting a review of the need for dogs across all areas of scientific research and testing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Dogs are a specially protected species under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. They may only be used in research where the applicant demonstrates that the scientific objective cannot be achieved using a scientifically satisfactory non-animal method or by using another species. Every proposed programme of work is assessed by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) to assure that the use of animals is justified by the expected benefits, the minimum number of animals are used, and procedures are refined to minimise suffering.
The Government committed to accelerating the replacement of animals in science wherever scientifically possible. In November 2025, the Government published Replacing animals in science: a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, backed by £75 million in funding. The strategy includes specific commitments to reduce the use of dogs in science by 2030.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether data will be collected and reported for the use of polyclonal antibodies.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and reports data on procedures for the routine production of blood-based products, which includes the production of polyclonal antibodies. Polyclonal antibody production may also be reported under the purposes of “Basic research” or “Translational/applied research”. Polyclonal antibody production is not currently reported separately in the annual statistics.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether he plans to (a) deliver the 2025 Replacing Animals in Science Strategy and (b) ensure that work under that strategy receives dedicated ministerial oversight and resources following departmental restructuring.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government remains committed to delivering the Replacing Animals in Science strategy, which sets out a long-term, cross-government programme to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. Delivery is underway across Government departments and partner organisations, supported by funding secured through the Spending Review. Responsibility for overseeing delivery of the strategy sits with the Minister for Science, Innovation and Investment, Chris McDonald MP. A number of commitments are already in progress, including the establishment of a Pre-clinical Translational Models Hub and the UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (UKCVAM). The Government will publish a delivery update later in 2026.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment's identification of risks to livestock from multiple climate hazards as a priority risk area, what steps her Department is taking to monitor and publish data on farmed animal deaths and welfare impacts from extreme weather; and what plans she has to include such indicators in the fourth National Adaptation Programme.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has a protocol to monitor animal welfare during high-risk weather periods and ensure keepers take steps to mitigate risks. The Food Standards Agency shares data with Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency for welfare issues originating on-farm and during transport. The Government has sought advice from the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) on the impacts of climate change on farmed animal welfare and potential mitigations. Part 1 of the project is underway and focuses on poultry species, and Part 2 will cover pigs and ruminants. We are currently considering what indicators are included in the fourth Adaptation Plan.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on the number of farmed animals that have required veterinary attention and/or died on-farm or in transport as a result of heat stress or other extreme weather events in each of the last five years, broken down by species.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government does not hold data on the number of farmed animals that have required veterinary attention and/or died on-farm due to heat stress.
Data from 2022 indicates that, in July and August 2022 when there was unprecedented hot weather in the UK, approximately 30,000 and 27,000 poultry respectively were reported to APHA as dead on arrival at slaughterhouses. The government does not hold such data for the years 2023-2025.
During the red warning period (24th-26th June), approximately 17,000 broilers, 600 hens, 70 turkeys, three pigs and one sheep were reported as dead on arrival at slaughterhouses due to suspected heat stress. Approximately 300 pigs were reported on arrival at slaughterhouses as exhibiting clinical signs consistent with heat stress.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the commercial viability of 'day-zero' systems where genetically edited breeding hens ensure only female layer chicks hatch, eliminating the need for male chick culling in the egg industry.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
As stated in the recently published Animal Welfare Strategy Defra will encourage industry to end the practice of culling male laying hen chicks. In recent years there has been rapid global progress in a range of technologies that could help end the routine culling of male chicks by identifying or determining the sex of chick embryos before hatching as set out in the Animal Welfare Committee’s ‘Opinion on alternatives to culling newly hatched chicks in the egg and poultry industries’. Whilst ‘day-zero’ systems are not yet commercially viable, Defra continues to follow developments in the space closely.