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
RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence. 
