Summary of council meeting on 1 June 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 1 June 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.

Some concern was expressed at the reduced budget within which FAWC will need to operate this financial year. There was also to be a reduction in Secretariat resources to support FAWC.

Discussion

Discussion centred around:

• Agreement of FAWC’s Strategic Business Plan 2006-2010. This sets out how Council will go about its business and its agreement included decision on 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). The finished document will be published;
• A presentation on the economics of animal welfare;
• A draft report on lamb castration and tail docking;
• A presentation on Avian Influenza bird welfare issues and a commitment to provide advice to Government on ventilation shutdown as a method of killing; and
• An update on the activity of Defra’s Animal Welfare Division, including a request for advice on a draft Animal Welfare Strategy for England.

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. Companion Animal Welfare Council, Animals Procedures Committee and the Zoos Forum) and with key stakeholders. Future meetings were planned with the Irish equivalent of FAWC (the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council in Dublin), the Soil Association, WSPA and a series of meetings in New Zealand in the summer.

He also reported progress on a meeting of European farm animal welfare advisory bodies to be held in Germany in September 2006.

Date of next meeting

26 October 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