Australian animal welfare workshop considers international perspectives

After three years of concerted effort to develop an integrated national approach to animal welfare, the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy (AAWS) has made impressive progress. This was demonstrated clearly at the Third AAWS National Workshop held in Canberra on 5-6 December 2007, where achievements to date were outlined in some detail.

Reports were received from working groups in six animal sectors: animals in the wild, aquatic animals, companion animals, livestock/production animals, research and teaching animals, and work, sport, recreation and on-display animals. Two cross-sector working groups - one on research and development and the other on education and training - also reported, as did a group charged with developing a national communications strategy after analysing animal welfare attitudes and perceptions of stakeholders and the Australian public.

Good news delivered at the workshop is that the new Australian Government has decided to continue funding the AAWS and its associated projects.

European perspectives on animal welfare were provided by Dr Andrea Gavinelli (European Commission - Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General – see separate article on page 12 of this issue). He described the significance of the current 'fork to farm' approach. Its direction, which is from the consumer back to the farmer, and the manipulative function of the fork in the hands of consumers, recognised their power to demand that high standards of welfare be maintained on livestock farms. Animal welfare in this sense now ranks alongside safety and quality as part of food acceptability.

Professor David Mellor (Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre (AWSBC), Massey University) outlined some New Zealand perspectives on animal welfare. He noted that the successful establishment of a comprehensive animal welfare management infrastructure was a good demonstration of a wide cooperative commitment to the economic interests of New Zealand Incorporated. Exports of animal-based products to welfare-sensitive markets, like Europe, represent a high proportion of the country's GDP. Other key features of the New Zealand system are inclusiveness, seeking incremental – not revolutionary – change, and basing minimum welfare standards on sound science. He emphasised the importance of relevant scientific expertise of high international standing.

The existence of the five research centres and groups was acknowledged as a strength for the region: in New Zealand, the Animal Behaviour and Welfare Research Centre (AgResearch, Hamilton) and the AWSBC (Massey University, Palmerston North), and in Australia, the Animal Welfare Science Centre (Universities of Melbourne and Monash, and Department of Primary Industries, Melbourne), the Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics (University of Queensland, Brisbane) and the Animal Welfare Research Group (CSIRO, Chiswick). Steps to further enhance the currently good interactions between these five centres were also discussed.

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Page last updated: 30 April 2008