About Us

What we do

AWSELVA’s vision is a global society that provides a good quality of life for animals

Our mission

Our Mission is to promote the welfare of animals through raising awareness and understanding of animal welfare science and ethics, and their application to policy and practice.

AWSELVA achieves this by providing the following:

• Conferences
• Journal
• Continuing Education

Who we are

The present committee and officers of the Association are:

President, Ed Varley

Ed is a founder member of AWSELVA and is currently the Association’s President. After three years working in mixed practice in Herefordshire, Ed began a career in the State Veterinary Service, most recently working at the heart of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)’s animal welfare policy group. He has been a veterinary advisor to the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) for more than 15 years. In September 2011 he was elected as a trustee of the British Veterinary Association Animal Welfare Foundation (BVA AWF). He believes in the extrinsic and intrinsic value of animals, in animal sentience and the importance of the human-animal interaction. He recognises that animal health and welfare has ethical, cultural, scientific, economic, environmental and political dimensions, and that these cannot usually be pursued in isolation.

Senior Vice President, Dr Pete Goddard 

Pete graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1979.  He leads the Ecology Group at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen; one particular focus of this group is upland game management.  His major research interest is in small ruminant welfare, in particular related to extensively managed systems.  He is a trustee of the British Veterinary Association Animal Welfare Foundation (BVA AWF) and Senior Vice President of AWSELVA.  

Secretary, Dr Siobhan Mullan

Following graduation from the University of Glasgow Veterinary School in 1997 Siobhan worked in mixed and then small animal practice whilst concurrently studying for the RCVS Certificate and then Diploma in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law (AWSEL). She has gradually spent more time researching animal welfare and her research interests have ranged from pet rabbits to farmed pigs. Her research is focussed on applying the results of welfare assessment to initiate improvements in animal welfare. Siobhan also co-ordinates the Everyday Ethics column in the In Practice veterinary journal and is a founder member of the European Veterinary College sub-speciality of AWSEL. When she's not working Siobhan can be found spending time with her family, riding her bike or playing her bagpipes - but not all at the same time.

Treasurer, Stephen Wotton MBE

Steve is Senior Lecturer in Farm Animal Science at the University of Bristol. His research is in the area of behaviour and physiology in farmed animal species, which aims to improve animal welfare during the period from farm through to slaughter. His particular research emphasis is on the physiology of humane stunning and slaughter. Steve is responsible for Langford Continuing Education and the University Abattoir (red meat), as well as being responsible for Animal Welfare Officer (AWO) and Poultry Welfare Officer (PWO) training for the meat industry. 

Journal Editor, Dr James Yeates

James qualified with a Bachelors of Veterinary Science in 2004, and has a Bachelors in Bioethics, a Certificate and Diploma in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law and a PhD in Veterinary Ethics. He is currently Head of the Companion Animals Department at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), Honorary Lecturer at the University of Bristol, Chair of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) Ethics and Welfare Group and Honorary Secretary for the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS). James is also on the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) Scientific Committee and is a Fellow of the Centre for Animal Ethics. He is writing a book for the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) animal welfare series on Achieving Animal Welfare in Veterinary Practice. 

Other Committee Members:

Vanessa Ashall

Vanessa qualified in 2000 and spent three years in mixed practice in Yorkshire, then 1 year doing companion animal locum work in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. In 2004 she took up an appointment as Named Veterinary Surgeon (NVS) at the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition then, in 2007, joined Pet Blood Bank UK where she now holds the position of Veterinary Ethics and Welfare Supervisor. Vanessa gained the RCVS Certificate in Welfare Science, Ethics and Law in 2008 and her interests include the use of healthy animal tissue in clinical practice and the relationship between veterinary surgeons and healthy animals.

Nancy Clarke

Nancy’s background and formal qualifications are in human psychology, applied animal behaviour and welfare science, and education. She’s worked in animal welfare education for over 8 years, both as a lecturer and programme director within tertiary education. Nancy has also worked practically as a canine and equine behaviour/welfare consultant, providing in-house staff training in animal behaviour/welfare for animal charities/NGOs. Her research has mostly concerned pain assessment and attitudes towards animal welfare within the veterinary profession which she continues to study by undertaking a PhD at Bristol University. Nancy aspires to encourage awareness of, and public engagement with, animal welfare science. 

Richard Jennison

Richard qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Edinburgh University in 1997.  He holds the RCVS Certificate in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law and is a Lantra-approved trainer.  He has worked as a mixed and small animal veterinary surgeon in East Yorkshire and Essex.  He currently works in poultry practice in Herefordshire.  He is a member of the RSPCA working groups for laying hens and pullets.

Steven McCulloch

Steven qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Bristol University in 2002. He also holds a BA in Philosophy from London University and has practiced as a small animal veterinarian in the UK and Hong Kong. He is currently working towards a PhD on Veterinary and Agricultural Ethics at the Royal Veterinary College.

Dr Clare Phythian

Clare is the resident full-time sheep veterinary surgeon on the South West Healthy Livestock Initiative (SWHLI) based at the University of Bristol, and is responsible for delivery of best practice advice and support in the areas of sheep health, welfare and production to farmers and their vets. After working in practice, Clare spent 4 years working full-time on sheep flocks across Northern England and Wales, and completed a PhD in sheep welfare assessment. She provides CPD for sheep vets, has run sheep welfare training for farm assessors in the UK and overseas, and recently published her first book, with Agnes Winter, on sheep health, husbandry and disease. Clare is a member of the executive committee and sheep welfare committee of the Sheep Veterinary Society, receiving the John Roger Memorial Quaiche in 2010 for her services to the society, and a committee member of the Association of Veterinary Teachers and Research Workers (AVTRW).

Dr Joy Pritchard

Joy is a veterinary surgeon and animal welfare scientist specialising in the health, welfare and productivity of animals in international development contexts. Her areas of interest include working (draught and pack) animals, and using approaches from international development and social medicine to engage farmers and other animal owners with improving animal welfare. Joy holds the European Diploma in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law and a PhD in working equine welfare assessment and improvement. She currently works half-time as the Brooke’s Senior Animal Welfare and Research Adviser and half-time as a partner/consultant at Animals in International Development. She is a research collaborator in the Animal Welfare and Behaviour Group at Bristol University Veterinary School.
 

Kimberly Wells

Kim graduated from Pennsylvania State University, USA, with a BSc in Animal Bioscience and after working for many years as a Certified Veterinary Nurse at Tufts Veterinary School, she completed an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour & Welfare at the University of Edinburgh in 2007.  Kimberly works as the Brooke’s Working Equine Behaviour & Welfare Advisor, where she facilitates training workshops and provides technical advice across the Brooke’s programmes in Asia, Africa and Latin America.  Kimberly recently joined AWSELVA as a Committee Member and is happy to see a group welcoming all those with a keen interest in animal welfare and ethics.  She also serves as a lay member for the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute’s Ethical Review Committee.

Sean Wensley

Sean qualified from Liverpool Vet School in 2003, then obtained a Masters degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare from Edinburgh Vet School in 2004. After 3 years working in both companion animal and exotics veterinary practices he joined PDSA as Senior Veterinary Surgeon for Communication and Education.
Sean has contributed to animal welfare and conservation projects in East Africa, China, India, Europe and the Caribbean. He is a member of the Companion Animal Welfare Council (CAWC), a trustee of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) Animal Welfare Foundation, a committee member of the BVA Ethics and Welfare Group, and a past committee member (2004-2011) of the BVA Overseas Group.