Making animal welfare improvements: econom
ic and other incentives and constraints
UFAW International Symposium 2011
28th - 29th June 2011
Background and Aims of the Symposium
During recent years the husbandry of many kept animals (farmed, companion, research, zoo and others) and the effects of harvesting and control methods used for free-living wild animals, have been reviewed in the light of modern understanding of animal welfare.
In many cases (perhaps almost all), it is concluded that welfare is not as good as society would wish and, often, that there is a need for considerable improvement. However, having established through such reviews of various species that there are problems, progress in tackling them is not always as prompt or certain as might be hoped (for example FAWC recently reported that ‘the evidence is that the welfare of dairy cows has not improved significantly over the last decade’ (FAWC 2009 Opinion on the welfare of the dairy cow. www.fawc.org.uk/reports.htm).
The aim of this conference is to consider economic aspects of animal welfare - economic incentives and constraints - and the societal attitudes of which these are a reflection. How much an individual, or society as a whole, is prepared to pay for animal welfare improvements appears to vary greatly depending on the species and circumstances of the animal. To what extent is this subject to change? Finding ways to develop economic drivers and incentives has proved to be a successful approach to animal welfare improvements in some cases. What potential is there for widely developing this approach?
We wish to address both general issues and species- or industry (farm, companion, research etc) - specific aspects of this field including:
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Research into the value placed on animal welfare (of various species under various circumstances).
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Has the global economic crisis affected consumer attitudes and behaviour?
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Factors underlying variation in willingness to pay, and payment, for animal welfare benefits.
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Deciding priorities – apportioning scarce funds: (a) between animal welfare and other societal concerns and (b) between various animal welfare issues.
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How do we ask animals what are their priorities for welfare expenditure?
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Consumer demand studies in humans and other animals.
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How much is enough? Deciding how much progress along the positive/negative welfare continuum can be afforded.
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Could labelling systems be used more widely, in farm and other sectors, to allow consumers to exercise choice?
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The role and power of corporate responsibility initiatives.
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Apportioning expenditure between welfare and conservation in captive and field conservation programmes.
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The role of animal welfare science in influencing public attitudes and economic policy.
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What are the main constraints to, and what economic incentives could be developed to help make progress with, species/industry specific issues such as:
- Tackling lameness in dairy cattle
- Humane rodent control
- Humane harvesting of marine fish
- Each of the Three Rs
- Genetic welfare problems in companion animals
- Tackling lameness in broilers
Speakers and topics (subject to confirmation) will include:
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Dr David Bayvel (Chair OIE Working group on Animal Welfare & Director Animal Welfare MAF Biosecurity, New Zealand) Animal welfare: A complex international public policy issue - the economic, policy, societal, cultural and other drivers and constraints. A 20 year international perspective
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Professor Linda Keeling (Dept of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) Designing animal welfare policies and monitoring progress
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Dr David Main (Division of Farm Animal Science, University of Bristol, UK) Can assurance schemes improve welfare using welfare outcomes?
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Professor Peter Sandøe (Dept. of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark) What can economists do for animal welfare?
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Professor John Webster (Emeritus Professor of Animal Husbandry, University of Bristol, UK) The Virtuous Bicycle: a delivery vehicle for animal welfare
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Mark Williams (Chief Executive, British Egg Industry Council) Meeting the challenge of 2012 and the ban on conventional cages across Europe
Contributing to the Symposium
UFAW is inviting contributions to the symposium. If you wish to contribute, please submit a title and abstract to UFAW for consideration. Both oral and poster presentations will be accepted. Abstracts of all accepted talks and posters will be placed on UFAW’s website in advance of the symposium and we hope to publish the proceedings as a Supplement of our quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal ‘Animal Welfare’.
Abstracts should be written in English and not exceed 400 words, excluding the title and the authors’ names and addresses, which should be formatted as indicated on the attached leaflet. Please use Microsoft Word for Windows when submitting an abstract. Text should be in Times New Roman 12 pt font.
The title should be centred and in bold capital letters. Names of authors should be centred under the title in bold upper and lower case. Institutional addresses should be left justified and in bold upper and lower case. The email address of the main author to be contacted with regard to the abstract in italics should follow. A blank line should precede the text. The text should clearly and concisely outline the main findings or premise without reference(s) to other text or paper or to future findings. It can include graphs or tables but must fit on one side of A4.
Please send a copy of the abstract by email to wickens@ufaw.org.uk AND a signed hard copy marked for the attention of Stephen Wickens, UFAW Portsmouth 2011 by Friday 5th November 2010. If you wish to present a poster rather than a talk, please indicate this at the bottom of the submitted abstract.
The deadline for receipt of final papers for publication in the proceedings will be the first day of the symposium, when full papers of up-to 5000 words will be required from all speakers. Poster presenters will have their abstracts published. A leaflet on the Symposium can be downloaded here.
Registration Details
Places will be limited so please contact us as soon as possible to register your attendance. Early registration for the symposium will be at the reduced cost of £240 per person until Monday 28th February 2011, registration will be £290 thereafter. An electronic Registration form can be downloaded here or you can complete a PDF version here.
A limited number of subsidised places have been made available for students and veterinary nurses at the reduced rate of £150 per person until 28th February 2011, and £180 thereafter; these will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
Prices include attendance at the symposium for the two days, lunch and refreshments and the drinks reception on HMS Warrior on the evening of the 28th June.
Please note that UFAW’s sister charity, the Humane Slaughter Association, is holding a contiguous meeting at the same venue (the Historic Dockyard) on the 30th June and 1st July on Recent Advances in the Welfare of Livestock at Slaughter. Delegates who are interested in attending this meeting too, should visit the HSA website www.hsa.org.uk.
Venue
The Symposium is being held in Boathouse 6, the Action Stations’ building, which is located within the Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth - see map at http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/dockyard/
The drinks reception is being held on HMS Warrior, the world’s first iron-hulled, armoured warship powered by steam as well as sail, berthed within the 
Dockyard itself. Delegates will be able to look around the ship during the reception.
During the symposium, delegates will also be able to visit the other attractions in the Dockyard too. These include Vice Admiral Lord Nelson’s HMS Warrior, the oldest commissioned ship in the world, the NationalMuseum of the Royal Navy and a tour of the harbour by boat.
Further information about Portsmouth can be found on the Portsmouth Tourist website www.visitportsmouth.co.uk
Return completed form to:
Dr Stephen Wickens, UFAW Portsmouth 2011, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire AL4 8AN, UK. Email: wickens@ufaw.org.uk. Tel: +44 (0)1582 831818; Fax: +44 (0)1582 831414
Background to UFAW:
UFAW, the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, is an internationally-recognised, independent, scientific and educational animal welfare charity. The organization promotes high standards of welfare for farm, companion, laboratory and captive wild animals and those with which we interact in the wild.
Pictures courtesy of Portsmouth City Council
