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 Summary of Responses to the Call for Evidence on Labelling for Animal Welfare, published by her Department in August 2022, when she plans to consult on proposals to improve and expand mandatory labelling requirements for animal welfare.

In 2021, Defra ran a call for evidence to gather data on the potential impacts of different types of labelling reform for animal welfare. We received over 1,600 responses and a summary of these responses is available on GOV.UK. The evidence provided suggested that there is public appetite for improved welfare labelling, however we do not consider the time is right to consult on proposals to reform labelling for animal welfare.

We will continue to work with stakeholders to explore how we can harness the market to improve food information for consumers and raise animal welfare standards.