BVA Animal Welfare Strategy: a decade of welfare wins, as new priorities unveiled

Nine years since the publication of its landmark Animal Welfare Strategy, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) celebrates major steps forward in animal welfare and details a new set of priorities in its report, ‘BVA Animal Welfare Strategy - Evaluation and Next Steps’. 

The new report outlines significant achievements in improving animal welfare since 2016 as a result of BVA’s policymaking, campaigning and lobbying work, including: 

• In 2022, pivotal legislation recognised animals as sentient beings for the first time with the introduction of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act.  

• The importance of animal welfare science, ethics and law is recognised as a key element of undergraduate veterinary education in the refreshed RCVS Day One Competences. 

• Since 2018, the #BreedToBreathe toolkit has challenged big brands for using brachycephalic breeds in advertising or marketing, rolling back their normalisation. 

• In 2020, animal welfare in agriculture was recognised and incentivised as a public good in England. 

• Practical resources have been developed for vets dealing with illegally imported pets, brachycephalic dogs, suspected non-accidental injuries, and dangerous dogs. 

• Working closely with specialist divisions, BVA has published policies on analgesia in calves; non-stun slaughter; welfare of livestock during transport, extreme conformation; feather pecking in laying hens; and the use of aversive training devices for dogs and cats, among others 

Commenting on the progress made in animal welfare since the 2016 strategy was published, BVA President Dr. Elizabeth Mullineaux said:  

“When BVA set out its animal welfare strategy in 2016, our ambition was clear- to provide a coherent and consistent approach for BVA and its members to advocate good animal welfare and to contribute to solutions for real-world priority animal welfare problems. Through our campaigning and lobbying, we’ve made huge strides, from critical legislation to supporting the veterinary professions to advocate for animal welfare with clients, and inspiring others at an international level. But there is still more work to do, and our new priorities will form the basis for achieving this.”  

The new report details six new areas for future action identified following consultation with BVA’s committees, engagement with its specialist divisions, and a cross-sector survey of stakeholders on the role of vets and vet nurses in improving animal welfare. These fall under broad themes such as national and international advocacy, technology and environmental sustainability, and include the following priority actions:  

• Influence government to ensure that the UK demonstrates leadership on key animal welfare issues.  
• Continue joint working with specialist divisions and other stakeholders to develop positions on the root causes of animal welfare issues, ensuring that the veterinary professions show leadership on solutions. 
• Explore the role of technology and artificial intelligence in improving cross-species animal welfare and support the professions to integrate innovative approaches responsibly 
• Support the veterinary professions to promote the role of animal welfare in environmental sustainability and One Health 

Commenting on the report’s new priorities, Dr. Mullineaux said: 

“In the last few years, animal welfare science has grown in profile and our own definition of animal welfare has evolved. We have also seen significant social and economic change and disruption, from the UK’s departure from the EU and the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, to the cost-of-living crisis, all of which have not only impacted animal welfare in many ways but also the way animal owners, veterinary professionals, farmers, and policy makers view the social licence around the use of animals. That is why this impact assessment and the setting of new priority areas for future action are so timely. 

“None of these achievements would have been possible without the contributions and engagement from our members. In 2025, where the legitimacy and importance of veterinary professionals being advocates for animal welfare is embedded at an individual and societal level, BVA will continue to champion the achievements that have gone before and kickstart work against the new priorities.”