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BVA charity to invest £70,000 in welfare research
The deadline for research proposals is 4 August 2023.
Animal Welfare Foundation asks researchers to apply for funding.

The Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) has announced that it will award £70,000 to animal welfare research projects.

AWF, the British Veterinary Association’s (BVA’s) charity, has asked researchers to apply for funding for research that covers the topic ‘Breeding for better welfare: enabling human behaviour that leads to animals experiencing a better life’.

Of the investment, £40,000 from the Norman Hayward Fund will go towards research into horses, cattle and sheep while the remaining £30,000 from AWF General Funds will go to any species.

AWF aims to use veterinary and scientific knowledge to improve animal welfare, with a focus on the role of human behaviour in supporting veterinary and animal welfare professions to positively influence welfare issues.

It is now calling on researchers in the UK to submit proposals that answer this call, with a particular focus on breeding issues.

Past AWF-funded projects have included Dr Rowena Packer’s research into the motivations and behaviours of UK owners of ‘pandemic puppies’ in 2020, a project that has since gone on to leverage a further £200,000 in follow-on projects.

The funding also supported Dr Sandra Baker’s 2022 research into the relative welfare impacts of different rat control methods, that supported BVA glue traps policy and informed the 2022 Glue Traps Offence Act.

Chair of AWF Julian Kupfer said: “AWF’s Research Call for 2023 gives a unique opportunity for researchers to utilise human behaviour change science to positively advance animal welfare through innovative research, bridging the gap between knowledge and real-world impact leading to animals experiencing a better life.”

The deadline for research submission proposals is 9.00am on Friday, 4 August. Visit the AWF website for more information or to apply.

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."