To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the six-day rule for fallen livestock; and whether he plans to end the rule. (279828)

The six-day standstill rule applies only to movements of live animals, not to fallen livestock. Fallen livestock must be taken to or collected by an approved knacker, hunt kennel, incinerator or renderer, either by private arrangement, or under the National Fallen Stock Scheme, following the usual strict biosecurity protocols.

Maintenance of the six-day standstill rule for the movement of live animals is essential in reducing the spread of livestock disease between the time of infection and the time the disease becomes evident. There are therefore no plans for its abolition.