Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department collates information on the number of pregnant cows slaughtered annually.
Answer
The Department does not collate information on the number of pregnant cows slaughtered annually.
The Government encourages the highest standards of welfare at both slaughter and during transport. It is illegal under the welfare in transport legislation to transport any pregnant animal where more than 90% of the gestation period has elapsed; this includes transporting pregnant animals to slaughterhouses. For TB infected cattle, most are removed from farms within 10 working days of disclosure. However, since September 2015 owners of heavily pregnant TB affected cows have had the option of keeping the animal on farm until it has calved, up to a maximum of 28 days.
The slaughter of pregnant animals is not itself currently covered by additional specific welfare requirements. The European Food Safety Authority is due to release a scientific report on this issue in the near future.