Wednesday 25 June 2014

WORLD MEAT CONGRESS: Animal Welfare to be New Moral Trade Barrier

An interesting article to look at

Animal welfare issues could become a new trade barrier following a landmark ruling by the World Trade Organisation, writes Chris Harris from the World Meat Congress in Beijing.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/32474/world-meat-congress-animal-welfare-to-be-new-moral-trade-barrier

MOOC Behind the Scenes Video Diary Part Three



Join us for the third part of our exclusive behind the scenes look at the making of our Massive Open Online Course in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, hosted on coursera.

Sign up now to take part!
https://www.coursera.org/course/animal

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Guests from India visit Vet School before attending the Edinburgh-India Inaugural Conference


Last month the JMICAWE team and colleagues from the Vet School, Roslin Institute and SRUC were delighted to welcome visitors from India for a tour of the school and facilities.


Our guests included officials and senior staff from the Indian Government and Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU).  Visiting as part of the Edinburgh-India Inaugural Conference organised by the Edinburgh-India Office, it heralded a successful and impressive event and generated many ideas for next steps in capacity building around research skills and education for vets in Kerala and Karnataka. 

‘I was overwhelmed by our Keralan colleagues who proudly presented me with their newly produced Animal Welfare text book. Written mainly by staff who have attended our various workshops, the book covers a wide range of topics and is something they and we should be very pleased with. It's great to see a whole Faculty with the support of their senior management taking ownership of this subject’  (Prof Natalie Waran, Director of JMICAWE)
 
 


Guests enjoying a tour of the school and facilities with  R(D)SVS staff, Prof Nat Waran (second from right) and Prof Brendan Corcoran (third from left)


The Edinburgh-India Inaugural conference that took place on the 15th and 16th May provided a forum for interdisciplinary opportunities and helped to establish new partnerships to celebrate the University’s longstanding engagement with India.   Edinburgh academics and their Indian collaborators in humanities and social sciences, medicine and veterinary medicine, and science and engineering were  invited to take part in the conference, entitled ‘Innovative Engagement for Sustainable Development:  The Edinburgh-India Story’.

Further details about the event can be found here:

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Animal Welfare Team in Botswana for essential TNR Research


 
Next month will see Heather Bacon (Welfare Education and Outreach Manager) and Hayley Walters (Welfare and Anaesthesia Veterinary Nurse) head out to Botswana to carry out important research into TNR (Trap-Neutor-Release) Programmes.   Working with Dogs Trust, they are developing a framework for assessing individual dog welfare in a standard TNR programme and will be visiting some existing programmes in order to assess whether the framework is useful and practical.
 
Their visit will primarily involve visiting and recording aspects of dog catching, surgery and release using portable video cameras, which can then be reviewed at a later date.  It will also help establish partnerships and links with existing welfare organisation operating in Botswana.
 
 
 We’ll be reporting in full upon their return, so watch this space!
 
 
 


Monday 9 June 2014

JMICAWE Team Member Hayley Walters wins RCVS Golden Jubilee Award


Veterinary Nurse Hayley Walters has won the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Golden Jubilee Award, in honour of her exceptional contribution to her profession.

The Dick Vet and JMICAWE is delighted that Veterinary Nurse Hayley Walters has won the RCVS Golden Jubilee Award, in honour of her exceptional contribution to her profession.

Hayley works at the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education (JMICAWE) and the Hospital for Small Animals and was nominated for her contribution to animal welfare through her teaching, clinical and international outreach work.

As well as Hayley's clinical work she has responsibilities for training veterinary surgeon and veterinary nurse students in all aspects of animal welfare, handling and pain management. She has also worked all over the world to share her veterinary nursing and animal welfare education skills as part of her work with JMICAWE.

We had six high-calibre and impressive nominations for the Golden Jubilee Award this year and Hayley was chosen because of her extensive work above and beyond her normal role as a registered veterinary nurse [RVN] with regard to animal welfare in the UK and internationally. She clearly demonstrates a gold standard ambassadorial role for the RVN.  Kathy Kissick, Chair of Veterinary Nursing Council

The VN Golden Jubilee Award will be given to Hayley at RCVS Day - the College’s Annual General Meeting and Awards Day - on July 11.


I am incredibly thrilled to be receiving this award and would like to thank my colleagues who nominated me. It comes at such a lovely time, too, as this year I have been in veterinary nursing for half my life as I started when I was 18 and have turned 36. If I was given the choice to go back and choose all over again I would still choose veterinary nursing in a heartbeat. Veterinary nurses are very well placed to improve not only patient experience when they are being treated but also, after the patients leave, through the education of animal owners. We must never stop caring, never stop learning and never stop trying to make a difference for every animal that comes into our lives. I am very grateful for this honour and would like to thank the RCVS for awarding it to me. Hayley Walters

Hayley with her rescue dog Stewart
 
 
 
The Golden Jubilee Award

The Golden Jubilee Award was launched in 2011 to mark the 50th anniversary of the first RCVS veterinary nursing training scheme and to recognise outstanding service to the profession. Hayley joins previous winners from 2011, Jean Turner and 2012 Sue Badger as the third winner.

The Golden Jubilee in 2011 celebrated the 50th anniversary of the RCVS-approved Animal Nursing Auxiliary (ANA) training scheme.