A strong HAU presence at the Animal Welfare Research Network’s 10th Annual Conference

By the Harper Adams University Animals in Education Research Team

This year marked a decade of the Animal Welfare Research Network (AWRN). 

The Network was set up to bring together the UK animal welfare research community, researchers in related disciplines, and stakeholders with a professional interest in animal welfare issues. 

Their theme this year felt in keeping with Harper Adams University’s own 125th anniversary sentiments: AWRN at 10: Learning from the Past, Shaping the Future. 

The opening plenary session by Donald Broom, Emeritus Professor of Animal Welfare at University of Cambridge, set the tone for the event with a thought provoking and inspiring talk on A look back at, and forwards from, the last decade of animal welfare science. The two-day conference included an excellent selection of talks, elevator pitches and breakout groups along with longer lunch breaks to facilitate networking and opportunity to explore Chester Zoo, the perfect venue to host this meeting. 

AWRN organisers reported a record number of submissions to present at this year’s Annual Meeting, so it was quite the recognition for Harper to be given two slots. Our Animals in Education team - Dr Holly Vickery, Dr Ellen Williams, Jen Sadler and Alice King - delivered the first presentation of the conference, discussing their work on Animals in Education: Prevalence, Practice and Welfare Considerations.  

Not only did this set the high standard for all to follow, but they were the only speakers to make their presentation as a group, a significant display of the inclusivity, collaborative focus and respect that we all aim to foster in the HAU Animal Behaviour and Welfare Research Group – even if we did give the people timing the talks a panic that we couldn’t possibly stick to time (we’d like it to be noted for the record that we finished with one second to spare – perfect!).  

Jen said: "Attending the AWRN conference for the first time was a real pleasure. Having heard so many positive things about the network from colleagues, it did not disappoint! It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase our research on Animals in Education and engage with others who share a passion for advancing animal welfare. The conference was full of inspiring presentations and thought-provoking discussions. I came away feeling excited and energised for the next stages of our research." 

The calm before the storm, a last minute timing check on the way to the conference!

Ellen said: “AWRN is such an inclusive society and this year my love for this conference was doubled by it being hosted at an actual zoo. Fabulous talks AND animals, what’s not to love? I was incredibly proud that we were able to share the significant advancements we have made in our Animals in Education work, and particularly that we were able to open up the opportunity to our first ever Animal Behaviour and Welfare Research Group placement student. We are going from strength to strength, and I am excited for the coming years.” 

Alice said: “This was my first year at AWRN and it was such a fantastic experience! Everyone was so welcoming, and it was great to catch up with fellow PhD students in the field. The speed networking session was particularly fun, as were the multiple visits to the zoo! I’m looking forward to returning next year and reporting on how our Animals in Education research has progressed!” 

The all important zoo time - Tree kangaroos in an adorable battle of the wills – joey refusing to accept they’re too big for mums' pouch now 

On day two Dr Holly Vickery delivered a well-received elevator pitch on Wearable sensor technology for dairy goat; on-farm validation and farmer perceptions - and with the associated paper currently under review she hopes to be able to share the full findings soon! 

She said “This year's AWRN conference was as wonderful as ever with a hugely diverse range of talks. I particularly enjoyed Dr Kate Lewis’ early career plenary which focused on the development and use of ethograms in animal welfare science – a topic I spend a lot of time talking to students about and found lots of useful take-home messages to share with them.  

“There were also a lot of technology related talks and discussions, something which I am still working on getting to grips with – so I always appreciate the honesty of other researchers in talking about the challenges of using technology in scientific contexts. It was particularly lovely to share the conference with our amazing Animals in Education Harper team and see our early-career researchers getting to experience one of my favourite networks.” 

Day 2 and Holly delivers the second Harper presentation of the conference 

Five members of our Animal Behaviour and Welfare Research Group attended the September event in total, which included our first undergraduate Research Placement Student, Laura Herbert. In keeping with the theme of the conference, Laura was invited to attend, despite her current level of study not quite meeting the experience usually required for membership (students need to be post graduate level), to explore the diverse opportunities in this growing and increasingly important field of Animal Welfare Science, that one day she will be part of shaping the future of. 

Reflecting on the day, Laura said: “What an eye-opening experience! I turned up feeling like an imposter but came away with so many ideas and a new-found confidence in my place as an early career researcher. I am so grateful for the opportunity! 

"However, the moment I askied the famous Donald Broom who he was so I could let him into the conference, was not something I’ll forget in a hurry! Not sure how many times I’ve cited him in my last two years of study at Harper, but I’ll certainly not forget how gracious he was - and all the other remarkable people in attendance.” 

The whole team are very grateful for the opportunity to attend such an excellent scientific meeting and are already excited for what new science they will be able to bring to the next one!