Current outreach

Sept 2025, Conference and new article

FAO Global Conference for Sustainable Livestock Transformation was on 29 Sep to 1 Oct. Centre Director, Dr Rebecca Doyle, spoke on the panel "Delivering solutions for healthier livestock systems and resilient animal health services” alongside Dr Damilola Areo (Ambuvets Konsult), Alejandra Capozzo (Centre for Health Sciences, Argentina) and Nina  Henning (GALVmed).

The Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock also launched the paper "Animal welfare for production and working animals: evidence and need for action”. 

The key messages include:

• Animal welfare is a crucial aspect of sustainable livestock systems.
• Good animal health is essential to good animal welfare. Good animal welfare also relies on the nutritional, behavioural, environmental and husbandry needs of animals being met.
• Animal welfare is a key driver for sustainable development. It is relevant to issues of animal health and One Health, and for climate change, soil fertility and the conservation of biodiversity. Animal welfare also contributes to socio-economic and environmental sustainability.
• While specific approaches will depend on the system, strategies for livestock systems should include improvements in animal welfare, while meeting other demands for sustainability and food security.

Publication: Keeling LJ. Animal welfare: part of the solution, not part of the problem in the move toward achieving sustainable development in animal agriculture. Anim Front. 2025 Apr 22;15(2):8-11. doi: 10.1093/af/vfaf009. PMID: 40271102; PMCID: PMC12014275.

Sept 2025, Hokkaido University Exchange

In September, colleagues from the Centre and the School met a group of veterinary students from Japan, as part of an established exchange programme with Hokkaido University. The partnership, which was established in 2009, supports annual student exchanges between the Dick Vet, led by the Conservation Veterinary Medicine team (is this the right name?), and Hokkaido University. 

Animal welfare activities included workshops from Dr Rebecca Doyle, Prof Susan Jarvis, and Jess Davies covering a wide range of topics on animal welfare, and a visit to Edinburgh Zoo without AABAW students. Hokkaido students also presented on topical animal welfare issues from Japan and UK, including laying hens, racehorses, zoo animals and companion dogs. 

This visit will sadly be the last for Professor Toshio Tsubota from Hokkaido University (pictured centre of back row). We would like to thank him for his efforts in establishing this partnership, and wish him a long and happy retirement.

2025, Japan

Animal welfare veterinary nurse, Hayley Walters had the honour of speaking to PhD, Masters and undergraduate students from Hokkaido University’s Vet School and Research Institute for Zoonosis Control, in January, on the sensitive subject of euthanasia. Hayley carefully presented the reasons why and when euthanasia is considered a treatment option, the barriers to euthanasia, how to perform a high quality, respectful euthanasia, and then presented case studies where euthanasia may or may not be indicated. The remote learning was digested by the students, largely from African and Asian countries, and then a week later a live open discussion was held between Hayley, attending veterinary surgeons, and the students. 

We would like to thanks Dr Yuki Otani for organising this event and bringing a difficult and emotional subject to the foreground of education.

It was a challenging subject to teach and I was very aware of the cultural and religious differences in attitudes to euthanasia from my home country of the UK compared to many Asian countries, but the students were open to discussion and comfortable to share their experiences of difficult cases of palliative care and euthanasia

Dr Rebecca Doyle Deputy Director) presented at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Regional animal welfare meeting in Tokyo on issues of animal welfare and sustainable livestock systems. 28 of the 31 countries in the Asia Pacific were present, giving an excellent chance for dialogue. Many thanks to both WOAH and A World of Good for facilitating this.