Summary of council meeting on 26 October 2006

Introduction
Discussion
Chairman's report
Next meeting
Further information

Introduction

This is the summary report of the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) plenary meeting on 26 October 2006, chaired by Professor Christopher Wathes. The Council meets three times a year. Working groups that convene more frequently undertake much of the preparatory work.

Discussion

Discussion centred around:

• The publication of FAWC’s Strategic Business Plan 2006-2010. This sets out how Council will go about its business and included the next topics for major studies (Economics and Animal Welfare (starting 2007), Knowledge Transfer and Animal Welfare (starting 2008) and Disease and Animal Welfare (starting 2009)) and shorter opinions from the Standing Committees (including laying hen welfare, farmed gamebirds, dairy cow welfare, lameness in sheep and policy instruments with impact on animal welfare).
• Advice offered to Government on the welfare issues raised by contingency planning for Avian Influenza;
• The establishment of a Working Group to undertake a study on animal welfare economics;
• Commissioning of scoping documents for Standing Committee studies on the welfare of farmed gamebirds, longevity of the dairy cow and policy instruments that influence animal welfare;
• Reports from the Secretariat on budgetary constraints, the very impressive FAWC Website statistics and appointment of new members;
• An update on the activity of Defra’s Animal Welfare Division.

Chairman’s Report

The Chairman reported on meetings aimed at building relationships with FAWC’s stakeholders in GB and Europe, through meetings with Ministers, CVOs, officials, the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy implementation and steering bodies, other animal welfare advisory bodies (e.g. Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council, Ireland) and with key stakeholders (the Soil Association, WSPA, Farm Animal Initiative, AWSELVA). The Chairman also had a series of meetings in New Zealand in the summer at which he carried the FAWC message.

The inaugural meeting of the European Forum of Animal Welfare Councils (EuroFAWC) was held in Germany in September 2006. The Forum aimed to share best practice and discuss shared animal welfare issues. The next meeting would take place in Brussels in May 2007.

Date of next meeting

14 February 2006.

Further Information

Contact:

Richard Aram
Assistant Secretary FAWC
Area 511, 1A Page Street
LONDON SW1P 4PQ

Tel: +44 (0)20 7904 6532
Fax: +44 (0)20 7904 6993
E-mail: richard.n.aram@defra.gsi.gov.uk