Make change driven by evidence

AWF established the Colleen McLeod Chair of Animal Welfare in Cambridge in 1986. This resulted in Donald Broom becoming the world’s first Professor of Animal Welfare. In 2003, AWF established animal welfare lectureships in Bristol, Glasgow, and Liverpool Universities which led to permanent positions for David Main, Dorothy McKeegan and Jennifer Duncan, laying the foundations for animal welfare to become a key part of veterinary education. 

The findings from this research reveal that even sows that have not been specifically selected for free farrowing can successfully raise piglets in free-farrowing, zero-confinement systems, especially once farmers adapt to these setups. This challenges the notion that only 'special' breeds can thrive in these environments and offers evidence that transitioning to higher welfare systems is feasible for standard pigs.   

The AWF-funded research project "An assessment of animal welfare impacts in wild Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) management" by Dr Sandra Baker, was cited as evidence for Parliament’s Glue Trap Offences bill in 2022. Glue traps were deemed one of the methods with the greatest impact on welfare and thus the research supported the need for a new glue traps bill.