Written questions

Reindeer

Commons · Question 855 · Tabled 13 May 2026 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Official record

Answered 22 Jun 2026

Question

Asked by Sarah Dyke

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of the classification of farmed reindeers as zoo animals.

Answer

Answered by Stephen Morgan, 22 Jun 2026

For the purposes of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (the 1981 Act), Defra considers that reindeer are not a species normally domesticated in Great Britain and therefore to be considered “wild animals”. Any establishment, including farms, where “wild animals” a...