Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 23 January 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 25 January 2006. It was answered by Ben Bradshaw (Labour) on Monday, 30 January 2006 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Animal Welfare Bill

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what scientific advice her Department has received on whether to include cephalopods within the remit of the Animal Welfare Bill.

Answer: DEFRA officials have considered numerous reports on whether cephalopods experience pain and suffering, but the current scientific evidence is not clear-cut. Before making a decision, we intend to await the outcome of a European Union review of Directive 86/609/EEC relating to the use of cephalopods in scientific research.If future research shows that cephalopods can in fact experience pain and suffering, there are powers within the Animal Welfare Bill to extend the definition of an animal to include such invertebrates.

Secondary information