Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) officers would only dispatch animals by shooting in rare and complex animal welfare cases and during depopulation.

There are no central records of cattle or sheep killed by shooting by APHA for animal welfare reasons in the last 3 years.

Concessionary arrangements are exceptional, temporary and subject to regular Ministerial review. The sheep shearing concession operated for 16 seasons from 2011 until 2026 and closed for a final time on 30 June this year. During this time, the sector has worked to develop skills and training within the domestic workforce with over 4,000 people trained as a shearer since 2021.

This year only 16 overseas shearers used the concession. The Home Office does not create bespoke immigration routes for a single profession, and it is not practical nor cost-effective to create a dedicated route for such a small number of workers. It is reasonable to expect that continued training efforts will allow the domestic labour supply to cover the workforce required for future shearing seasons.

The department recognises that the annual shearing of sheep is essential to managing the health and welfare of the UK flock of around 30m sheep, and the continued challenges that the industry faces each year in sourcing sufficient numbers of trained shearers.

The department is also aware that shearers from countries such as Australia and New Zealand share skills and expertise with UK sheep farmers in addition to supporting the health and welfare of the UK flock.

Visa concessions are a matter for the Home Office.

Defra continues to work with British Wool ahead of the 2027 shearing season to build domestic shearing capacity and to encourage promotion, take-up and delivery of domestic shearing training programmes.

During each of the last five years (2021-2025) British Wool has invested an average of £134,000 net costs in providing shearing training for between 798 and 898 people at skill levels ranging from beginners through to highly proficient commercial shearers.

The department recognises the continued challenges that the industry faces each year in sourcing sufficient numbers of trained shearers.

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.

The Government is currently analysing the consultation responses and will publish a formal response in due course.

As a result of considering the recommendations in the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the Implications of Castration and Tail Docking for the Welfare of Lambs, the Government issued a UK-wide consultation on lamb castration and tail docking which launched on 12 January 2026 and closed on 9 March 2026. The Government is currently analysing consultation responses and will publish a formal response in due course.

The Government considered the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the Implications of Castration and Tail Docking for the Welfare of Lambs including the scientific evidence prior to issuing a UK-wide consultation on proposals to improve the welfare of lambs earlier this year. Consultation proposals included seeking views on the use of pain relief and those circumstances when castration or tail docking should only be carried out by a veterinary surgeon. We are currently analysing consultation responses and will publish a formal response in due course.

The Government considered the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the Implications of Castration and Tail Docking for the Welfare of Lambs including the scientific evidence prior to issuing a UK-wide consultation on proposals to improve the welfare of lambs earlier this year. Consultation proposals included seeking views on the use of pain relief and those circumstances when castration or tail docking should only be carried out by a veterinary surgeon. We are currently analysing consultation responses and will publish a formal response in due course.

The Government considered the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the Implications of Castration and Tail Docking for the Welfare of Lambs including the scientific evidence prior to issuing a UK-wide consultation on proposals to improve the welfare of lambs earlier this year. Consultation proposals included seeking views on the use of pain relief and those circumstances when castration or tail docking should only be carried out by a veterinary surgeon. We are currently analysing consultation responses and will publish a formal response in due course.

The Government is currently analysing the consultation responses and will publish a formal response in due course.

A consultation on lamb castration and tail docking closed on 9 March. The proposals the Government consulted on did not include a ban on the use of castration and tail docking. Instead, the Government proposed that, where a procedure is considered to be necessary, then it should be carried out using methods that do not cause significant pain, or suitable pain relief should also be provided. We are now analysing the consultation responses and will publish a formal response in due course.

The consultations on lamb castration and tail docking closed on 9 March. The Government is now carefully analysing consultation responses and will publish a formal response in due course.

The Government continues to work closely with all livestock sectors as they face higher input costs particularly for fuel, energy, and fertiliser.

At the March 2026 meeting of the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG), Defra and the Devolved Governments decided to closely monitor the price and availability of these key inputs in light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The UKAMMG monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments including international conflicts and extended unfavourable weather. The Group meets monthly, enabling it to provide forewarning of any atypical market movements.

As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government is committed to working with the sheep sector to implement the advice and recommendations in the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the Implications of Castration and Tail Docking for the Welfare of Lambs and to update the Sheep Welfare Code.

The Government has carried out an assessment regarding changes to the rules around lamb castration and tail docking. The assessment concluded that banning lamb castration and tail docking was not the correct approach and instead the government consulted on other proposals to improve lamb welfare during the procedures. The Government is now analysing consultation responses and will publish a formal response in due course.

The Government recognises the importance of safe and timely shearing to protect animal welfare. The sheep shearing concession has been operating for 15 years and it is reasonable to expect that over this period a long-term sustainable solution had been found to identify this workforce gap. Therefore, having considered the potential merits, and in line with the plans set out in the White Paper “Restoring Control over the Immigration System,” published in May 2025, the Government does not consider a long-term route is required.

The Government expects the sector to meet these needs through the domestic workforce and individuals with existing general work rights, including dependants or Youth Mobility Scheme visa holders, who are free to take up work as a sheep shearer subject to the relevant visa restrictions.