Brooke urges researchers to consider animal welfare during ANH Academy learning lab
Brooke, ILRI and Chatham House teamed up to host a learning lab as part of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH) Academy Week on Wednesday 24 June, exploring the ethical importance of animal welfare within research.
Researchers from around the world tuned in to join Brooke’s Klara Saville and Kimberly Wells, ILRI’s Rebecca Doyle and Delia Grace, Chatham House’s Robyn Alders and KENDAT's Samantha Opere.
Animal welfare is a crucial, yet often overlooked, aspect of livestock agriculture and research as it impacts on human health and livestock productivity. Although researchers may not be familiar with animal welfare, they do have the power and influence to improve animal welfare through their work. The Five Domains model, for example, which encourages us to look at the physical and mental welfare needs of animals, can aid researchers in this.
During the learning lab, researchers were asked to consider hypothetical welfare issues that may arise while conducting studies in the field and discussed the ethics behind making decisions.
ANH Academy is a global forum, which brings together researchers, practitioners and policy makers working together for better nutrition and health through improved agriculture and food systems. It is co-funded with UK Aid from the UK government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.