BVA charity to invest £70,000 in welfare research
The deadline for research proposals is 4 August 2023.
The Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) has announced that it will award £70,000 to animal welfare research projects.
AWF, the British Veterinary Association’s (BVA’s) charity, has asked researchers to apply for funding for research that covers the topic ‘Breeding for better welfare: enabling human behaviour that leads to animals experiencing a better life’.
Of the investment, £40,000 from the Norman Hayward Fund will go towards research into horses, cattle and sheep while the remaining £30,000 from AWF General Funds will go to any species.
AWF aims to use veterinary and scientific knowledge to improve animal welfare, with a focus on the role of human behaviour in supporting veterinary and animal welfare professions to positively influence welfare issues.
It is now calling on researchers in the UK to submit proposals that answer this call, with a particular focus on breeding issues.
Past AWF-funded projects have included Dr Rowena Packer’s research into the motivations and behaviours of UK owners of ‘pandemic puppies’ in 2020, a project that has since gone on to leverage a further £200,000 in follow-on projects.
The funding also supported Dr Sandra Baker’s 2022 research into the relative welfare impacts of different rat control methods, that supported BVA glue traps policy and informed the 2022 Glue Traps Offence Act.
Chair of AWF Julian Kupfer said: “AWF’s Research Call for 2023 gives a unique opportunity for researchers to utilise human behaviour change science to positively advance animal welfare through innovative research, bridging the gap between knowledge and real-world impact leading to animals experiencing a better life.”
The deadline for research submission proposals is 9.00am on Friday, 4 August. Visit the AWF website for more information or to apply.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
