Animal Welfare Committee (AWC)
AWC advises the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Scottish and Welsh Governments on the welfare of animals. This includes farmed, companion and wild animals kept by people.
Our terms of reference
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The Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) is an expert committee of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Scottish and Welsh Governments.
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The Committee’s Terms of Reference are:
(i) To provide independent, authoritative, impartial and timely advice, to Defra and the Scottish and Welsh Governments:
- on the welfare of farmed animals, including farmed animals on agricultural land, at market, in transit and at the place of killing
- on any other matters that might be considered necessary to improve standards of animal welfare
(ii) To provide independent, authoritative, impartial, and timely advice, to Defra and the Welsh Government:
- on the welfare of companion animals and wild animals kept by people
- on any other matters that might be considered necessary to improve standards of animal welfare
(iii) To provide independent scientific support and advice on the protection of animals at the time of killing, as requested, in line with Article 20 of assimilated Council Regulation (EC) No.1099/2009 (with respect to England, Wales and Scotland) and Council Regulation (EC) No.1099/2009 (with respect to Northern Ireland).
Our priorities
Our priorities are to:
- provide independent, authoritative, impartial, and timely advice to improve and maintain high standards for the welfare of farmed animals, companion animals, and wild animals kept by people
- advise on any other matters necessary to enhance standards of animal welfare for these animals
- provide independent scientific support and advice on matters related to the welfare of animals at the time of killing
- work closely with other expert advisory committees both nationally and internationally, including with the European Forum of Animal Welfare Councils (EuroFAWC) and external stakeholders.
Our workplan
Our workplan sets out the current and new projects that the Animal Welfare Committee will be working on for the year ahead:
Our advice
Our main publications are opinions and letters of advice to governments.
Recent advice:
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Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing
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Opinion on the implications of castration and tail docking for the welfare of lambs
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Opinion on the space requirements for snakes in vivaria within pet selling establishment
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Opinion on the welfare implications of using virtual fencing for livestock
Our members
The current members of this group are:
- Professor Madeleine Campbell, Chair, Professor of Veterinary Ethics at Nottingham University, and Chair of the British Veterinary Association (BVA)’s Ethics and Welfare Advisory Panel (EWAP)
- Dr Jane Downes, independent veterinary consultant
- Dr Troy Gibson, lecturer in Animal Welfare Science, Royal Veterinary College
- Dr Dorothy McKeegan, senior lecturer, University of Glasgow
- Dr Romain Pizzi, RCVS recognised specialist and lecturer in Zoo & Wildlife Medicine
- Dr Pen Rashbass, sheep breeder and conservation grazier
- Professor Sarah Wolfensohn, Emerita Professor University of Surrey and veterinary consultant, awarded an OBE for services to animal welfare
- Dr James Yeates, veterinary surgeon
- Dr Gareth Arnott, Senior Lecturer in Animal Welfare and Behaviour at Queen’s University Belfast
- Ms Emily Craven, Ruminant Clinical Director of Oakwood Veterinary Group
- Professor Simon Girling, Head of Veterinary Services for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
- Dr Julian Kupfer, Chair of the Animal Welfare Foundation
- Stephen Lister, independent veterinary consultant
- Dr Julia Wrathall, independent animal welfare consultant for JW Premier Animal Welfare Consulting
FAWC renamed (1 October 2019)
The Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) was renamed to the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) on 1 October 2019.
Plenary meeting summaries
You can view previous plenary meeting summaries on the National Archives website.