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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State on 9 June 2026 (UIN 7005), why they concluded that banning castration and tail docking of lambs was not the correct approach; and whether they will make their statement publicly available.

This Government recognises that there are situations where completely removing the need for these procedures is not feasible and would not reflect the evidence base or sectoral needs and could result in unintended negative consequences for animal welfare. There remain cases, such as where there is a high risk of flystrike, where these procedures may still be justified. This is set out in the consultation documentation.