Guest Comments by the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF)

CHINA -- Veterinarians and animal welfare experts from around the world are gathering in Suzhou Province on October 28 to begin a three-day conference about the importance of animal welfare in the role of veterinarians in China. The Chinese Veterinary Medical Association’s 3rd China Veterinary Conference features speakers from China, Britain and Thailand.

The conference has been organized by the Chinese Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) together with organizations like Animals Asia and the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education (JMICAWE). It happens as globalization, industrialized farming and a burgeoning pet industry place China’s veterinary profession under pressure to meet international expectations on animal-welfare standards.

Discussions will relate to companion animals, livestock, laboratory activities and wildlife species. Topics include humane education, meeting the OIE minimum competencies in animal welfare, humane slaughter, animal welfare of livestock, animal welfare in scientific research and improving welfare in veterinary clinics. The conference is supported by Animals Asia, the Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (HKSPCA) and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).

Before the conference, undergraduate veterinary students at Nanjing Agricultural University received a week of collaborative clinical skills and welfare teaching. The training presented key animal-welfare and clinical-skills teaching using cutting-edge humane-education techniques. This program was delivered by Heather Bacon and Hayley Walters from the JMICAWE and Yan Qing and Pei Xin of Animals Asia.

As JMICAWE professor Natalie Waran said: “These activities represent the increasing importance of animal-welfare education in international veterinary training. The links between animals’ welfare and health are well recognized. In today’s society, the ethical responsibility of the veterinary profession to act as ambassadors for animal welfare is increasingly important.”

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