Animal Welfare Foundation celebrates 40 years
The day will reflect on the work of the AWF and how animal welfare has changed and progressed since it begun.
The Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF), the charitable arm of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), is set to turn 40 this year, and will be celebrating the occasion in its annual Discussion Forum.
Tickets are now on sale for the event, which promises a packed line-up of expert speakers and key animal welfare debates exploring topics such as technology, environmental sustainability, diet and welfare and human behaviour change.
The day will also reflect on the charity's work and how animal welfare has changed and progressed since it begun.
Among the speakers include beneficiaries of AWF, including Professor Donald Broom, whose AWF-funded professorship at Cambridge University transformed the study of animal welfare within veterinary education.
Additionally, guest speaker Giles Yeo MBE will share anecdotes from his career and insights on his work, which focusses on the role of genetics in obesity and includes a research project on the ‘fat gene’ and how it affects obesity in Labradors.
There will also be plenty of opportunities for delegates to network during the day, and an evening drinks reception.
AWF chair of trustees, Julian Kupfer, said: “AWF’s Discussion Forum is always an energetic, insightful and inspirational debate. It provides veterinary professionals with an important, safe space to explore and engage with often difficult issues, such as contentious subjects like overtreatment and the link between human and animal abuse.
“The Forum provides delegates with the opportunity to deepen and evolve their understanding of animal welfare as well as being a vital catalyst for action. As AWF celebrates its 40th anniversary, we look forward to sharing our reflections of the past four decades and the important work of the Foundation.”
BVA president Malcolm Morley added: “The Animal Welfare Foundation’s Discussion Forum is a unique opportunity to network with and hear from experts from across the veterinary and animal welfare sector as well as discuss and debate key issues and concerns.
“The Foundation has done so much good in the past 40 years, so this is not only a chance to celebrate an amazing milestone but also to reflect on the difference the charity has made and how it can continue to fight for future improvements to animal welfare.”
The Discussion Forum takes place on 6 June 2023 at One Birdcage Walk, Westminster, and is open to the whole veterinary community, animal welfare professionals, students and policy makers. For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
