Massey University OIE Animal Welfare Centre
Professors David Mellor and Kevin Stafford.
The Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre (AWSBC) at Massey University has recently submitted its first annual report to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) as the first OIE Collaborating Centre for Animal Welfare Science and Bioethical Analysis.
Professors David Mellor and Kevin Stafford direct the AWSBC which is highly regarded internationally for its scientific research in the areas of animal welfare, husbandry, veterinary and wildlife sciences. The establishment of the AWSBC as a collaborating Centre was formally approved at the 2007 OIE General Session (Refer Biosecurity 76, 15 June 2007) and the AWSBC is currently the only collaborating centre that is dedicated exclusively to animal welfare science. The Centre has recently submitted its first annual report to the OIE Central Bureau.
The primary role of the AWSBC is to provide expertise to the OIE to support the development of international standards and guidelines in animal welfare. The Centre was chosen for this role due to its long standing position as a leading international research organisation and extensive accomplishments in animal welfare research.
At present, the Centre is involved in a number of research programs designed to increase knowledge and understanding of key animal welfare issues; one of the main focal areas being the management of pain and, in particular, the development of new efficient and cost effective techniques to maintain the well-being of farm animals during routine husbandry procedures. Knowledge gained from research such as this is disseminated to national and international stakeholders employed within the animal industry sectors to encourage awareness of animal welfare issues within these industries.
The AWSBC also takes a leading role in education and the development of alternatives for the use of animals in teaching and research programs in schools, universities and other training venues. A growing number of students in the animal and health sciences are demanding alternatives to the use of live animals for the practical aspects of their training programs and the provision of viable alternatives for this purpose is becoming increasingly necessary. Alternatives to using live animals for training include the use of innovative technology such as animal computer models. These models are programmed to generate a response in a similar manner to a live animal, thus providing similar physiological data as would be generated from the animal, but the use of these models removes the requirement to keep live animals specifically for this purpose.
The widespread and successful use of technology such as this is not only fundamental in reducing the number of animals required for training purposes but also ensures that future generations of students are able to excel in their chosen animal-related field, enabling them to contribute their own knowledge to the development of alternatives in the future. Student learning is a main focus for the University based research Centre and encouragement for students to develop their skills in animal welfare is provided by Professor David Mellor, who is involved in facilitating exchange schemes with international universities to enable enthusiastic students to gain hands on experience of animal welfare in New Zealand.
The AWSBC recognises the importance of forming and maintaining international relationships. These relationships enable advancements to be made in many animal welfare related areas.
The recognition of the AWSBC as a collaborating centre of the OIE is, therefore, a major step in facilitating international understanding and developing knowledge in animal welfare science. It is anticipated that OIE will pave the way for further collaboration with similar organisations both nationally and internationally and enhance global recognition of science-based solutions to animal welfare issues.
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Page last updated: 12 June 2008