About UFAW

UFAW, the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, is an UK based registered charity that works with the animal welfare science community worldwide to develop and promote improvements in the welfare of farm, companion, laboratory, captive wild animals and those with which we interact in the wild, through scientific and educational activity.

UFAW actively supports the ISAE, amongst others by collaborating in the organisation of the regional conference.

Mission

UFAW:

Promotes and supports developments in the science and technology that underpin advances in animal welfare, including the funding of research through its programme of grants, awards and scholarships.
Promotes education in animal care and welfare.
Provides information, organises symposia, conferences and meetings, publishes books, videos, technical reports and the international quarterly scientific journal Animal Welfare.
Provides expert advice to governments and other organisations and helps to draft and amend laws and guidelines.
Enlists the energies of animal keepers, scientists, veterinarians, lawyers and others who care about animals.

UFAW is an independent organisation, and throughout its history, its work has primarily been funded by donations, subscriptions and legacies.

UFAW’s philosophy

The importance of science to animal welfare:

Ensuring good welfare is about more than ensuring good health. Animal welfare is about the quality of animals' lives: their feelings. It is now widely agreed, although it is not yet possible to prove absolutely, that many species are sentient - they have the capacity to feel pain and distress, they can suffer and, conversely, be aware of pleasant feelings - and that this matters morally. But how do we assess, from the animal's point of view, what matters to them and how much?

“Science informs, motivates and facilitates advances in animal welfare by providing a strong evidence base for changing attitudes and practices, and by creating practical and effective solutions to welfare problems.”

UFAW promotes and supports a scientific approach aimed at finding ways to gain insight into what matters to animals, assessing their welfare and improving the quality of their lives through practical developments in all aspects of their care.

Change for the better depends on knowledge, understanding and practical solutions. UFAW believes that good science can inform, motivate and facilitate that change - whether through developments in legislation, professional ‘best practice’ or the actions of other organisations and individuals.

In promoting and supporting this scientific approach to improving welfare, UFAW's work is wide-ranging and undertaken with many other organisations and individuals - enlisting and informing the energies of animal keepers, scientists, veterinarians, lawyers and others who care about animals.

For more details visit: www.ufaw.org.uk

UFAW/Wiley Blackwell Animal Welfare Series

A major series of books produced in collaboration between UFAW and the well-known publisher Wiley Blackwell Science Ltd of Oxford provides an authoritative source of information on worldwide developments, current thinking and best practice in the field of animal welfare science and technology.

To see the whole series, see their website