Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC)

FAWC advises the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales on the welfare of farmed animals.

Our terms of reference

FAWC is an expert committee required to:

advise Defra and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales:
- on the welfare of farmed animals
- on any legislative or other changes that might be considered to improve standards of animal welfare
provide independent scientific support and advice as required by Article 20 of Council Regulation (EC) No.1099/2009 (PDF, 906KB, 30 pages) on the protection of animals at the time of killing
publish its advice

Our priorities

Our priorities are to:

complete our assessment of the evidence base for farm animal welfare policy
finish a review of the welfare of beef cattle
investigate possible links between the wellbeing of farmers and the welfare of their livestock
respond to governments’ requests for scientific support on the welfare of farmed animals at the time of killing
consider the animal welfare implications of sustainable agriculture
work closely with the European Forum of Animal Welfare Councils (EuroFAWC)

Opinions and reports

Our main publications are reports, opinions and letters of advice to governments

Latest

Committees

Our committees keep a watching brief on welfare issues within the broad subject bands:

ethics, economics, education and regulation
pigs, poultry and fish
ruminants
welfare at killing
animal breeding

Assessment of farm animal welfare - Five Freedoms and a Life Worth Living

We believe that good animal welfare implies both physical fitness and a sense of wellbeing. Our Report on Farm Animal Welfare in Great Britain: Past, Present and Future, 2009 explains how the Five Freedoms form a logical and comprehensive framework for analysis of animal welfare and goes on to outline our position that all farm animals should have a life worth living, from their point of view, and that an increasing proportion should have a good life.

Our members

Members of this group are:

Peter Jinman, Chair, past President, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
Professor Michael Appleby, Chief Scientific Adviser, World Animal Protection
Martin Barker, pig farmer
Professor Henry Buller, Chair, Rural Geography and Director of the BA Human Geography Programme, University of Exeter
Dr Andy Butterworth, Senior Lecturer, Bristol University Veterinary School
Dr Joanne Conington, Livestock Geneticist, Scotland’s Rural College
Richard Cooper, veterinary surgeon
Mike Elliott, Fellow, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Dr David Grumett, Chancellor’s Fellow in Christian Ethics and Practical Theology, University of Edinburgh
Dr Maria Carmen Hubbard, agricultural economist
Richard Jennison, veterinary surgeon
Gwyn Jones, dairy farmer, former Vice President of NFU
Richard Kempsey, poultry farmer
Professor Richard Moody, fellow of the Institute for Food Science and Technology
Mark White, veterinary surgeon
Steve Wotton, Senior Lecturer, University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences