Dr Becky Whay has won the Farm Animal Welfare award, in association with R.A.B.I and NADIS, for her pioneering work on dairy cattle lameness and her contribution to farm animal welfare strategies.
Dr Whay, Reader in Animal Welfare and Behaviour in the School of Veterinary Sciences, commenting on her award, said: “Undoubtedly it is such a thrill to be recognised for the work I have done, but it is much, much more than this. There are many people who work with me, who I have trained, who have inspired me. It is fantastically encouraging and every now and then it is really nice for someone to say well done.
“These awards bring animal welfare to the fore; tonight has illustrated a huge range of animal welfare issues and different ways people contribute to the improvement of animals’ lives. People working in farm animal welfare are trying to give animals the best possible life that they can so that we fulfil all of our obligations to them, in order to make sure our relationship with the animals is ethical. In the future, we will hopefully gather more information about what we can do about farm animal welfare and how to bring about change.”
Christopher Laurence, head judge, speaking at the ceremony, added: “This year’s winners should be exceptionally proud, standing out amongst impressive competition, the judges were hard pressed to choose but each award has gone to a deserved winner. For those considering submitting their welfare heroes next year, my best piece of advice remains to supply the judges with as much information as they can, in order to assist the judges with their decision process. It was heartening to see so many accounts of incredible welfare work being carried out around the world.”
A panel of industry professionals, including Christopher Laurence MBE BVSc and James Yeates, Chief Veterinary Officer of the RSPCA, were faced with the task of deciding between a wide range of applicants. This year the awards received the highest number of entries to date, with hundreds of nominations offering a broad spectrum of candidates across the six categories and saw the addition of the two special awards: the Lifetime Achievement Award and the award for Special Recognition.
The awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 8 April in Birmingham and the winners were presented with their awards on stage by the judges, alongside a representative from each of the category sponsors, which this year included Blue Cross, PDSA, International Cat Care, NADIS, R.A.B.I, Veterinary Times, VNTimes, Your Dog and Your Cat magazine.
Ginette Bryant, Corporate Communication Manager of Ceva Animal Health, said: “It has been another successful year for the Ceva Animal Welfare Awards, attracting so many praiseworthy entries. Ceva are keen to promote animal welfare on a global level and we are glad to be able to honour organisations and individuals who have given so much and are actively improving the lives of animals. Our goal of combating the world’s major animal health challenges is supported by these individual and personal efforts.”