Third Annual Student Animal Welfare Conference

(NOTE: This is an archived press release.)

Writtle College recently hosted the Third Annual Student Animal Welfare Conference on the 30th April. Undergraduate and postgraduate students from Writtle, Hartpury and Moulton Colleges presented results from their dissertation research studies. Presentations covered a wide range of topics from all areas of animal welfare related to farmed livestock, horses, companion animals and zoo species.

Prizes were awarded on the day as follows; Best oral presentation - Carla Khouri (Writtle College); Commended oral presentation - Rachael Saggers (Writtle College); Best poster presentation - Helen Neill (Writtle College); Commended poster presentation - Sophie Mayes (Writtle College).

Professor Don Broom from the University of Cambridge gave the opening talk of the conference, entitled “Awareness in domestic animals and our obligations to them”. Over the years, Professor Broom and his Animal Welfare and Human-Animal Interactions Group have carried out extensive research in this area, and in recent years have been in the vanguard of scientific advances which have influenced legislation and practice as well as being of fundamental interest.

The conference was organized by Dr. Jonathan Amory, senior lecturer at Writtle College and Eli Saetnan, research assistant. Funding for the conference was generously provided by the University Federation of Animal Welfare.

Photo - Professor David Butcher, Principal of Writtle College introducing the conference.