8th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE ASSESSMENT OF ANIMAL WELFARE AT FARM AND GROUP LEVEL

  1. Transdisciplinary approaches to measuring animal welfare

Transdisciplinary research involves scientists from multiple disciplines communicating, exchanging ideas and working together to come up with solutions to animal welfare problems. Investigators from different disciplines may have jointly created new conceptual, theoretical, methodological, or translational innovations beneficial to animal welfare science. In particular we welcome submissions that contribute to our ability to evaluate and understand the affective state and the value of individual differences and in the development of indicators of positive welfare.​

 

   2. Back to basics: practical solutions to improve animal welfare

Under this theme we welcome submissions on improving the animals’ environment and on optimising husbandry procedures and handling to minimise fear, pain and suffering.  

 

   3. Animal health and welfare: Interchangeable or interdependent?

We welcome papers which involve research on animal health and animal welfare and which challenge the definition of both.  

 

  4. The role of animal welfare in addressing global grand challenges

The United Nation’s Committee for Climate Change recently suggested that animal welfare has a major role to play in the sustainability of animal agriculture. We welcome papers demonstrating how animal welfare science and/or policy can help address some of the major challenges facing humans, animals and the environment, such as antimicrobial resistance, climate change, food security etc. Papers demonstrating the One Health/One Welfare theme are also welcome.

 

  5. Humans in the animal welfare loop

This theme covers a wide range of research areas including human-animal interactions (in zoos, on farms and in laboratories) and wildlife management, social science investigating the behaviour and attitudes of stakeholders (e.g. consumers, farmers, society), quality assurance schemes and concepts such as social licence.  

 

  6. Free papers

As well as the above themes, papers dealing with any other aspect of animal welfare science are also welcome, and can be submitted under the ‘Free Paper’ theme.