Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC)
FAWC advised the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales on the welfare of farmed animals.
FAWC renamed (1 October 2019)
FAWC was renamed to Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) on 1 October 2019.
Our terms of reference
FAWC was an expert committee required to:
- advise Defra and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales:
- on the welfare of farmed animals
- on any legislative or other changes that might be considered to improve standards of animal welfare
- provide independent scientific support and advice as required by on the protection of animals at the time of killing
- publish its formal reports
Our priorities
Our priorities were to:
- review of production systems and the welfare of cattle
- provide quality assurance for revised codes of practice for the welfare of farmed livestock
- respond to governments’ requests for scientific support on the welfare of farmed animals at the time of killing
- work closely with the European Forum of Animal Welfare Councils (EuroFAWC)
Opinions and reports
Our main publications were reports, opinions and letters of advice to governments
Assessment of farm animal welfare - Five Freedoms and a Life Worth Living
We believe that good animal welfare implies both physical fitness and a sense of wellbeing. Our report on Farm Animal Welfare in Great Britain: Past, Present and Future, 2009 explains how the Five Freedoms form a logical and comprehensive framework for analysis of animal welfare and goes on to outline our position that all farm animals should have a life worth living, from their point of view, and that an increasing proportion should have a good life.
Our members
Members of this group were:
- Peter Jinman, Chair, past President, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
- Martin Barker, pig farmer
- Dr Andy Butterworth, veterinary surgeon
- Richard Cooper, veterinary surgeon
- Dr Jane Downes, independent veterinary consultant
- Dr Troy Gibson, Lecturer in Animal Welfare Science, Royal Veterinary College
- Dr David Grumett, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ethics, University of Edinburgh
- Dr Maria Carmen Hubbard, agricultural economist
- Richard Jennison, veterinary surgeon
- Richard Kempsey, poultry farmer
- Dr Dorothy McKeegan, Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow
- Debbie Stanton, ruminant farmer and livestock assurance scheme manager
- Mark White, veterinary surgeon
Meeting summaries