BVA reflects on Animal Welfare Strategy
BVA has set out six further areas where it hopes to advance animal welfare.
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is marking nine years since it published its Animal Welfare Strategy, as it reflects on its policymaking, campaigning and lobbying work.
The organisation has published a new report, BVA Animal Welfare Strategy – Evaluation and Next Steps, which BVA says outlines its animal welfare achievements since 2016 and details its new priorities.
Among the legislative changes which BVA has campaigned for is the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act. Launched in 2022, the law officially recognises animals as sentient beings which are capable of feeling emotions and pain.
The association has also committed to its policy on brachycephalic dogs. In 2018, it published its #BreedtoBreathe toolkit which calls on brands to stop normalising brachycephalic dogs in advertising or marketing.
Resources have also been published to support veterinary professionals that are dealing with brachycephalic dogs, illegally imported pets, suspected non-accidental injuries and dangerous dogs.
Animal welfare is also now recognised as a key part of undergraduate veterinary education. The new RCVS Day One Competencies now features requirements relating to welfare science, ethics and law.
Additional policies have included the use of aversive training devices in dogs and cats, extreme conformation, analgesia in calves and the welfare of livestock during transport.
The latest report has now set out six further areas, decided through consultation with BVA committees and other specialists, where it hopes to advance animal welfare. It hopes to address issues through national and international advocacy, while focusing on technology and environmental sustainability.
In its future work, BVA says it hopes to influence the government to improve the UK's leadership in animal welfare. This would see the organisation working with specialist divisions and stakeholders to tackle the causes of animal welfare issues.
It will investigate how new technologies could be implemented to improve cross species welfare and innovate approaches responsibly.
BVA has also committed to supporting veterinary professionals with promoting how animal welfare can support sustainability and One Health solutions.
Dr Mullineaux said: “None of these achievements would have been possible without the contributions and engagement from our members.
“In 2025, where the legitimacy and importance of veterinary professionals being advocates for animal welfare is embedded at an individual and societal level, BVA will continue to champion the achievements that have gone before and kickstart work against the new priorities.”
The full report is available here.
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Joanne Webster, a professor of parasitic diseases at the RVC, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).
