AWF discussion forum expands for 30th anniversary

Following the increasing popularity of the annual Animal Welfare Foundation discussion forum and to celebrate the charity’s 30th anniversary, the forum is moving to a bigger venue in London. This year’s forum on Monday, to be held on 13 May, focuses on the role of vets in animal welfare policy and practice. Up for discussion are where next for food assurance schemes; the vet’s role in recognising the link between abuse in animals and humans; and who should take responsibility for an animal’s welfare when an owner no longer can? An additional session looking back at the charity’s impact on animal welfare over the last three decades explores how vets have shaped policy on welfare at slaughter, pedigree dog breeding and showing, the wild bird trade and livestock show welfare. AWF chairman Tiffany Hemming said: “The discussion forum is always oversubscribed and this year we wanted to give more vets the chance to debate major animal welfare issues. In AWF’s 30th anniversary year we celebrate the genuine improvements in animal health and welfare that have been achieved as a result of the research our small charity has funded, and the excellent discussion forums that have initiated welfare policies. The discussion forum supports the foundation’s objective of improving animal welfare through debate. It brings fellow vets, animal welfare and government organisations together to identify and discuss important welfare-related issues with a view to influencing future BVA animal welfare policy. This year the session ‘Grasping the golden moment – the vets role in recognising the link between abuse in animals and humans’ is sponsored by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Bookings for the event at One Great George Street in London operate on a first-come, first-served basis and tickets cost £50. Online registration is now open at http://www.bva-awf.org.uk/events/2013/5/13/awf-discussion-forum