News
Keep up-to-date with the latest activities of UFAW including announcements about UFAW Awards open for application and the latest book releases.
UFAW joins RSB as new MO
21 October 2022
In August 2022, UFAW joined the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) as a new Member Organisation (MO).
The RSB is a single unified voice for biology: advising Government and influencing policy; advancing education and professional development; supporting their members, and engaging and encouraging public interest in the life sciences. The Society represents a diverse membership of individuals, learned societies and other organisations.
Debate Forum on animal welfare labelling: an attempt to summarise….
8 July 2022
At the UFAW conference held in Edinburgh on the 28 -29 June 2022, a debate forum was organised to discuss the pros, the cons, and the challenges associated with animal welfare labelling of food products. It was chaired by UFAW Research Director Birte Nielsen and – to initiate the discussion – featured talks from Professor Frank Tuyttens (ILVO and Ghent University, Belgium), Professor Siobhan Mullan (University College Dublin, Ireland), and Professor Alistair Lawrence (SRUC/University of Edinburgh, UK). To encourage an open debate, the meeting was neither live-streamed, nor recorded, and the summary is but a fraction of the opinions and issues raised in the hour-long discussion that followed the talks.
The UK has recognised Animal Sentience in Law, Now the Hard Work Begins…
11 April 2022
Last week, the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill completed its parliamentary stages and now awaits Royal Assent to become law. The passing of the bill means that animal sentience will be enshrined in UK law, having been the only piece of legislation that was not transferred from the EU following Brexit.
Can we get better at tickling rats?
23 July 2021
Rats emit ultrasonic vocalisations (USVs) in the 50 kHz range when a human hand imitates the rough-and-tumble play seen between young rats. A recent publication questions whether current methods overemphasise the use of pinning, where the rat is flipped onto its back followed by rapid and forceful tickling of its belly.
Picking up mice after sanitising your hands can affect mouse behaviour
16 June 2021
During the Covid 19 pandemic, most of us have become all too familiar with hand sanitisers, sometimes complaining of their strong smell or the feeling left on our hands, whilst appreciating their protective effects.
UFAW responds to DEFRA consultation on genome editing, highlighting potential welfare benefits but also significant dangers
25 March 2021
In a recent consultation on the regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) produced by genome editing (GE) or other genetic technologies, DEFRA* made a distinction between genetic changes that could have been developed using traditional breeding methods and those that could not. However, the use of traditional breeding methods as a benchmark for what is and what is not acceptable is neither useful, nor scientifically logical.
Rodent glue traps consultation
25 March 2021
UFAW is pleased to see that the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) recommends a ban on the use of glue traps in its recently published report on the use of rodent glue traps in Scotland.
These devices are used to control ‘pests’ including rats and mice by catching them on a sticky board. Captured animals (which sometimes include non-target species) may remain alive and stuck to the board for hours, causing severe suffering as they try to escape. Astonishingly, these traps can currently be freely sold to, and used by, the general public in the UK.
UFAW lends support to The Wild Animal Welfare Committee’s virtual conference
22 March 2021
UFAW will be hosting the Wild Animal Welfare Committee’s (WAWC) one day conference on the GoToWebinar platform to enable hundreds of delegates from around the world to be able to attend.
Measuring and reducing damage during net handling of salmon
17 March 2021
In 2020, researchers at the University of Stirling used a UFAW grant to assess the damage (and potential stress) caused to Atlantic salmon by handling in nets. Dr Adam Powell (Marine Environmental Research Laboratory) examined whether different types of net mesh (rubber coated or standard knotless) and the number of fish per net (capture density) affected the extent of scale loss.
UFAW-funded Animal Welfare Student Scholarship could lead to welfare benefits for laying hens
17 March 2021
UFAW student scholar Rosa Schimmel, who undertook an internship at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Utrecht, was awarded an Animal Welfare Student Scholarship in 2020. She chose laying hens for her scholarship subject
