Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has received interim findings of the research which her Department commissioned the Scottish Agricultural College to undertake on the management and welfare of continuously housed dairy cows; when she plans to publish the results of that research; whether the Government plans to issue a response to the research after it is published; and if she will make a statement.
Answer
The submission of the final report, which will include details of the critical phase of the analysis, has been delayed as a result of difficulties in obtaining all the necessary data on continuously housed dairy farming in the UK. However, we are now expecting to receive a substantive update from the researchers at the end of the year. The Department intends to publicise the results along with any necessary commentary in due course. I would be happy to place a copy of these in the Library of the House as soon as they are available.