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Animal Welfare

NIH suspends new chimp research grants

Agency adopts strict conditions set out in IOM report
By R. Scott Nolen
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February 15, 2012
Late last year, the National Institutes of Health froze all new grants for studies involving chimpanzees after an Institute of Medicine review found little scientific necessity for using man's closest genetic relative as a research model.

Dozens of ongoing, federally funded projects will be evaluated according to the new stringent conditions adopted by the NIH, which the IOM says are necessary to justify conducting research on chimpanzees.

Advances in alternative research tools and methods, including cell-based tests and other animal models, have made chimpanzees largely nonessential as research subjects, concluded the IOM report, issued Dec. 15, 2011.

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The Gateway to Farm Animal Welfare newsletter: week 20 - 27 January 2012

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12 items and 1 event have been added
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New Website and Logo Marks Welfare Association Relaunch

The Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law Veterinary Association (AWSELVA) has developed a brand new website and logo* to provide a wealth of user-friendly information on the Association’s activities and to welcome the growing number of people interested in becoming members.

The site contains the latest edition of the high quality AWSELVA Journal as part of a 10 year archive, as well as information on the Association’s informative and thought-provoking conferences. There are also links to continuing education opportunities in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law as well as a page dedicated to supporting students.

Ambitions on welfare

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GIVEN the complexity of the subject and differences in attitudes and approach, devising a strategy to help improve animal welfare across the European Union is an ambitious undertaking, but the European Commission has attempted to do just that. A communication on an EU Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2012-2015, which was adopted by the European Commission last week (see p 87 of this issue) has already attracted criticism, with animal welfare groups describing it as lacking in ambition and a missed opportunity. Others, including farmers, have welcomed the strategy, which, it could be argued, presents a pragmatic approach that offers real opportunities for improvement in the future. One only has to look at some of the issues surrounding implementation of EU legislation banning battery cages for laying hens to see the kinds of problem that can arise in this notoriously difficult field.

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FVE welcomes Animal Welfare Strategy but wished the Commission to be more ambitious

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On 19 January, the European Commission adopted the 2012-2015 Animal Welfare strategy paper.

FVE is pleased that several of its recommendations have been taken into consideration. On the other hand the Federation regrets that the document is not more ambitious in its objectives and planned action: the strategy "could have gone further" in the field of companion animals.

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Vets cite robust enforcement as essential to success of EU welfare strategy

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The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has broadly welcomed the European Commission’s new Animal Welfare Strategy but urges the Commission to ensure robust implementation and enforcement of existing and proposed measures to improve animal welfare in the European Union. The BVA also expressed disappointment that there is no reference to welfare guidance for dairy cattle and that there is a lack of measures relating to companion animals.

Lack of enforcement of EU legislation by Member States is seen as a major issue adversely affecting animal welfare in the EU, as is the lack of sufficient economic incentives for compliance. Another gap is the lack of sufficient knowledge about welfare amongst many of those who handle animals. The new four-year strategy (2012-2015) adopted by the European Commission aims to address these issues by setting up a comprehensive animal welfare legislative framework focussing on welfare outcomes and on the education of all concerned parties as well as the reinforcement of current Commission actions.

Commenting, Carl Padgett, President of the BVA, said:
“We must continue to strive for the highest possible standards of welfare for the animals we keep and this latest move by the Commission is to be welcomed. Effective implementation and enforcement of legislation throughout the EU is essential if we are to make a significant difference to the welfare of animals.

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100,000 Dogs Walk in WSPA’s Virtual March to Fight Rabies and Animal Cruelty

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Today, more than 100,000 virtual dogs are marching across the Internet to deliver a global message: Use collars, not cruelty, in the fight against rabies.

The dogs – who were named and virtually “collared” by WSPA advocates around the world – represent the strong global support for our Collars Not Cruelty campaign, which promotes vaccination as an alternative to killing dogs in misguided attempts to control rabies.

“Every year, nearly 20 million dogs are needlessly and cruelly killed during mass culls,” said Ray Mitchell, International Campaigns Director, WSPA. “Through this virtual dog march, we want to tell people and governments around the world that it doesn’t have to be this way – through mass vaccination, they can humanly and effectively tackle the disease.”

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Handling an injured pet

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In this podcast we share tips on how to care for an injured pet, without causing further injury.

If your pet is injured, it’s probably in a lot of pain, and scared and confused too. And that means it could unintentionally scratch or bite.

In this podcast, Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald from Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, Colo., and a featured veterinarian in Animal Planet’s television series E-Vet Interns, offers tips on how to care for an injured pet, without causing further injury.

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The OIE and the European Commission confirm their shared commitment on animal health policies

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Guest of Honour at the Berlin “International Green Week”, the Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), Dr Bernard Vallat, speaking at the stand of the European Commission Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection (DG-SANCO), reiterated his appreciation for the work being carried out by the two organisations to promote animal health and welfare policies worldwide.

“I am delighted at the excellent collaboration between the OIE and the European Union, and especially DG-SANCO, and I particularly welcome the commitment shown by Commissioner Dalli on such key topics as animal welfare and veterinary public health which not only help to ensure the prevention and control of infectious animal diseases, including those transmissible to humans, but also contribute to world production of food of animal origin and food safety” declared Dr Vallat.

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Vets welcome DARD's initiatives to improve animal welfare in Northern Ireland

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The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the North of Ireland Veterinary Association (NIVA) have welcomed the publication of draft codes of practice on the welfare of rabbits, horses and primates.

Commenting on these recent initiatives by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), Carl Padgett, BVA President said:
“DARD must be applauded for creating these opportunities to provide detailed guidance on responsible ownership of rabbits and horses as well as the keeping of primates.

“We are delighted to see Northern Ireland following in the footsteps of Wales by publishing a welfare code for rabbits. The BVA will continue to press Defra to reconsider its decision and publish a similar code for England to help owners understand the health and welfare needs of their pet rabbits, now the UK’s third most popular pet.

“With an increase in abandoned or welfare-compromised horses - largely due to the recession and overbreeding - comprehensive advice on the owning and caring for horses as set out in the draft code is timely and we hope it will go far in helping owners understand their horse’s welfare needs.

“Primates are long-lived, intelligent, socially-complex animals and we can think of no circumstances where a primate would benefit from being kept privately as a pet. We do, however, very much welcome the proposed guidance for the keeping of primates in professionally managed centres and for species conservation.”

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