Animal welfare toolkit for livestock veterinarians
Animal welfare is the responsibility of all people involved with animals. Veterinarians have an important role in raising and addressing animal welfare issues with their clients. The majority of farmers place a high value on animal welfare.
The animal welfare toolkit for livestock veterinarians provides practical advice and support to veterinarians in their duty to:
- assist farmers
- promote better livestock welfare practice on farms.
For veterinarians the toolkit will:
- help you understand your obligations and options when you identify an animal welfare issue
- provide some guidance for instances where conversations with your clients about the welfare of their animals may become confrontational
- set out good practice guidelines in regard to assessment, data collection and record keeping
- provide references to useful technical resources and support for you and your clients.
The information provided in this toolkit can be used as the basis for practice policies on how animal welfare issues are managed. Such processes demonstrate a commitment to animal welfare to clients and the public. It also encourages veterinarians to be proactive in dealing with welfare-compromised animals and to feel supported in their decision to raise welfare concerns with their clients.
The toolkit can be found here: