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Hen charity founder gives keynote speech
Jane Howorth MBE

British Hen Welfare Trust is BVNA's charity of the year

Jane Howorth MBE, founder of the British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT), thanked BVNA president Sam Morgan for the opportunity to be the organisation's charity of the year as she delivered this year's keynote speech at BVNA Congress.

The BHWT re-homes commercial laying hens and encourages support for British free range eggs.

Speaking to a packed room of delegates, Jane gave an overview of why and how she set up the charity and outlined their key achievements to date.

"I'm blown away by the fact that every year we save the lives of nearly 50,000 hens," she said.

Jane was inspired to help end battery farming in the 1970s after watching a panorama documentary highlighting modern farming practices. She formed the BHWT in 2005 and, since then, over 500,000 hens have been saved from slaughter.

During her speech, Jane also highlighted the importance of improving veterinary support and treatments for chickens. She explained to delegates that the BHWT has teamed up with The Chicken Vet to offer advice for vets and veterinary nurses on how to treat hens.

With the rise in the popularity of chickens as pets, it was surprising to learn that there are currently only eight licensed treatments in the United Kingdom.

BHWT main aim is to see consumers and food manufacturers buying only UK produced free-range eggs, resulting in a strong British egg industry where all commercial laying hens enjoy a good quality of life.

The British Hen Welfare Trust uses a positive campaign strategy designed to educate the public and make them aware of their capability to make a difference to hen welfare through their shopping basket.

For more information about the charity visit www.bhwt.org.uk

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Cold-water dip to raise funds for Vetlife

News Story 1
 The veterinary mental health charity Vetlife is inviting the veterinary community to join it for a sponsored cold-water dip.

The event will take place at Walpole Bay, Margate, on 17 May during Mental Health Awareness Week. Participants of all abilities can join in the challenge and are advised to bring a towel, a hot drink, a snack, and warm clothes to get changed into afterwards.

Those taking part are being asked to try to raise 100 each to support the work of the charity.

Details about how to take part can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue low vector period ends

In an update to its bluetongue guidance, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the seasonal low vector period for the disease has ended.

With winter over, Defra is planning for a possible increase in cases as midges become more active. It has warned that farms along the east coast of England from Norfolk to Kent, and along the south coast from Kent to Devon, are at highest risk from infected midges blown over from northern Europe.

Since the virus was detected in England in November 2023, there have been 126 confirmed cases. The most recent case to be confirmed was on 1 March 2024.

Farmers are asked to continue to frequently monitor their livestock and ensure their animals and land are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.