Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of intensive factory farming of chickens, and whether there are plans to further regulate this sector with regards to animal welfare.

All farms, regardless of size and type of production system, must comply with legislation on animal health and welfare. The Government remains firmly committed to improving animal welfare and wants to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The Animal Welfare Strategy outlines government’s plans to improve farm animal welfare including through transitioning away from intensive confinement systems such as cages and encourage efforts to move away from fast-growing meat chicken breeds.