UFAW International Animal Welfare Conference 2024

10 – 11 July 2024

Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Portugal

A fundamental element of UFAW’s mission is the dissemination of evidence-based animal welfare information, so we are delighted to be holding our annual conference on 10 – 11 July 2024 in Porto, Portugal. This conference will serve as a platform for a diverse array of presentations encompassing all areas of animal welfare science and feature both talks and posters.

Hosting the conference in-person will facilitate valuable networking and collaboration opportunities, however we acknowledge that logistical constraints may prevent some of our colleagues from attending in person. To ensure that the latest developments in animal welfare science are open to all, we will also be  making the talks and poster presentations available online.

Alongside the following keynote presentation, the conference will include both talks and poster presentations,

Keynote:

• Professor Clare Palmer (Texas A&M University, USA)
  What is wild animal welfare like and why should we care about it?”
  

Examples of some of the other talks: 

• Charlotte Burn (The Royal Veterinary College, UK)
  Boredom in ferrets (Mustela furo) – Assessing and ameliorating the limbo between sleep and stimulation
• Simon Eckerström Liedholm (Wild Animal Initiative, USA)
  Optimizing population density for wild animals’ welfare
• Daniela Haager (VIER PFOTEN International, Austria)
  Assessing animal welfare risk in fibre-producing animals by applying the Five Domains framework
• Dominik Hajosi (University of Vienna, Austria and Columbia University, USA)
  Mission impossible accomplished? On the incoherent integration of the harm-benefit analysis into law and policy documents in European countries
• Hannah McKay (Rethink Priorities, USA)
  Bringing shrimp into the fold of animal welfare science
• Julia Miller (Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland; University of British Columbia, Canada)
  Impact of owners' support strategies on the behaviour of dogs facing a novel stimulus
• Kikiope Oluwarore (African Union, Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), Kenya)
  A compelling case for animal welfare in Africa
• Peter Sandøe (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
  What do we owe feral animals?
• Patricia Turner (Charles River, USA; University of Guelph, Canada)
  Implementing sustainable welfare practices in research settings: Adoption of non-aversive handling of mice
• Qing Yang (University of Edinburgh, UK)
  Animal welfare with Chinese characteristics: Chinese poultry producers’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, animal welfare

Download the full programme and abstract book here

This event will be of interest to the growing international community concerned with animal welfare and to those working on biomedical research, food animal production, slaughter and companion animal rehabilitation, captive wild animals and policy makers.

Together with the ISAE South West Europe Region, a workshop will be organised on Animal welfare as a profession – beyond academia (chaired by Sara Capas Peneda and Anna Olsson, i3S, and Birte Nielsen, UFAW) to discuss how animal welfare expertise can be used in jobs outside academia, and what it takes to be an animal welfare expert.

Registration

The conference will be held in-person to facilitate valuable networking and collaboration opportunities.   Places are also available to attend online.

Please be aware that you may need a Visa to attend the conference. Further details can be found here.  

A tiered registration fee is in place for the conference. Current paid-up members of UFAW can register at a reduced rate. For more information about becoming a member of UFAW, please click here.  

The conference registration fees are:  

In-person registration rates (IN-PERSON REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED)

• Individual members - £340 (approximately €390) (paid up-to-date members only)  Become a member here
• Individual non-members - £390 (approximately €450) 
• Student/Veterinary nurse/Unwaged - £150 (approximately €170)* 

Online registration rates

• Individual UFAW member - £75 (paid up-to-date members only) Become a member here
• Individual non-member -  £100.00
• Student/Veterinary nurse/Unwaged - £35.00
• Delegate from eligible low- and middle-income countries – Free
  To maximise access to the meeting, the fee will be waived for delegates resident in low- and middle-income countries eligible for the Research4Life scheme (Group A and B). Click here for a list of eligible countries. 
  PLEASE CHECK YOUR ELIGIBILITY BEFORE REGISTERING.

* You may be asked for proof of student status (eg a copy of a valid/current student ID copy, letter from tutor etc)  

Payment for the conference must be in GBP and includes all local taxes.

Register

Certificates of attendance will be issued to all delegates who attend the conference.  

Conference timetable

• Deadline for submission of abstracts – 1 February 2024
  
• Notification of abstract acceptance – by 1 March 2024
• Registration opens – 2 April 2024
• End of Early Registration – 13 April 2024 1700hrs GMT
• Deadline for receipt of amendments to accepted abstracts – 31 May 2024
• Start of conference – 10 July 2024, 08.30 (GMT+1)
• End of conference – 11 July 2024, 18.00 (GMT+1)

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Dr Stephen Wickens at events@ufaw.org.uk.