We bring stakeholders together

The Strategy hosts an annual Forum which brings together Australia's providers of Animal Welfare RD&E along with industry funders, animal welfare groups and Government representatives. ​

2021 Forum 

11th National Primary Industries Animal Welfare RD&E Forum
Theme and venue(s) to be announced at a later date
Thursday December 2nd 
Express interest HERE

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2020 Forum 

10th National Primary Industries Animal Welfare RD&E Forum
"Pain – elimination, mitigation and inter-disciplinary learnings"
Wednesday December 2nd 
was conducted via webinar

 FORUM PDF Presentations (for personal use only)

• Prof Lorimer Moseley - We all know what pain is – Right?? 
• Dr Meredith Craigie - Current thinking pain diagnosis and management in humans
• Dr Danila Marini - Pain assessment and development of effective pain relief strategies in livestock
• Prof Rachel Ankeny - How philosophy of biology and ethics can help to inform potential testable hypotheses
• Prof Wendy Umberger - Consumers’ value and perceptions of animal welfare attributes: industry and policy implications
• Dr Ruth Davis - How regulatory authorities determine appropriate schedule for pain medications
• Dr Hans Coetzee - USDA programs in pain mitigation and how they align with industry QA standards 
• Dr Jeremy Marchant-Forde - Current activities of the 3Ts Alliance: a global alliance of stakeholders exploring ways to end painful piglet procedures (TBA soon)
• Dr Ellen Jongman - New developments in breech modifications of sheep for the prevention of flystrike
• Dr Michael Laurence - Future developments in pain related research in the red meat industry

FORUM Recorded Presentations

Session 1: Fundamental pain science - Moseley, Craigie, Marini

Session 2: Societal, ethical and practical challenges and opportunities - Ankeny, Umberger, Davis

Session 3: Industry developments - Coetzee, Marchant-Forde, Jongman, Laurence - Presentations

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2019 Forum and Priorities Workshop

The 9th Annual Forum was held at the University of Melbourne on Wednesday 6th November. The Forum explored the topic of Driving Change.

Professor Gabriele Bammer (ANU) delivered the keynote presentation: Integrating scientific outcomes into effective mechanisms to get change PDF
Presentation Handout - PDF  AUDIO PPT

Speaker Profiles; PDF

Presentations: 
Alan Tilbrook - Introduction; PDF  AUDIO PPT
Lauren Hemsworth - Monitoring public attitudes to livestock industries and livestock welfare; PDF  AUDIO PPT
Caroline Lee - Virtual herding for cattle and sheep; PDF  AUDIO PPT
David Miller - Remote sensing methodologies to monitor sheep welfare on farm; PDF  AUDIO PPT
Cheryl McCarthy - Novel detection of chicken welfare using machine vision; PDF  AUDIO PPT
Rob Hewitt - The practical application of young pig euthanasia – facilitation of a “good death”; PDF  AUDIO PPT
Emily King - Lifetime Ewe Management Program – changing practice; PDF  AUDIO PPT
John Penry - Pathways for male dairy calves – where does this sit on the RD&E spectrum?; PDF  AUDIO PPT
Pauline Brightling - Lessons learnt in delivering effective programs to change practice; PDF  AUDIO PPT
​​
​The NAWRDES Committee convened a Workshop on Thursday 7th November. The aims of the workshop, which was held at the University of Melbourne, were to:

1. consider cross-sectoral RD&E Funding Opportunities in the Livestock Sector and
2. determine relevant Themes to guide the facilitation of RD&E by the Strategy   

Presentations:
Alan Tilbrook - Overview of The Animal Welfare Collaborative; PDF

Animal Welfare Priorities 2020 - 2022:
Australian Eggs Limited; PDF
Australian Meat Processor Corporation; PDF
Australian Pork Limited: PDF
Australian Wool Innovation; PDF
Dairy Australia; PDF
LiveCorp; PDF
Meat and Livestock Australia; PDF
PoultryHub; PDF
RSPCA Australia; PDF

Participants at the workshop considered the relevance of the RD&E Themes which guide the Strategy's activities. To assist in this process 3 expert researchers were asked to briefly address Novel approaches using learnings from other fields of research, Gaps and Cross-sectoral opportunities relating to each Theme:
Presentations:
Drewe Ferguson, CSIRO (delivered by Andrew Fisher, AWSC, Univ. Melbourne)
Animal Welfare Assessment; Pain Assessment & Management; Management, Housing & Husbandry and Transport, Euthanasia & Slaughter Impacts - PDF

Lauren Hemsworth, AWSC, Univ. Melbourne
Attitudinal Effects on the Welfare of  Livestock throughout the Value Chain - PDF

Ruth Nettle, – Rural Innovation Research Group, Univ Melbourne
Education, Training & Extension - PDF

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2018

Hosted by the University of Melbourne, the 8th NAWRDES Forum focused on Natural behaviours, environmental enrichment and animal
welfare. 
Presentations:

• 1-5 Tilbrook, Schütz, Gray, Coleman, McMonnies
• 6-8 Schütz, Campbell, Taylor
• 9-11 Morrison, Lee, Hemsworth

Audio PPT presentations:

• Introduction - Tilbrook
• Importance of natural behaviour - Schutz
• Animal ethics - Gray
• Public & consumer views - Coleman
• Connecting R&D to the community - McMonnies
• Satisfying natural behaviour in dairy cows - Schutz
• Satisfying natural behaviour in laying hens - Campbell
• Satisfying natural behaviour in meat chickens - Taylor
• A higher perspective on natural behaviours and enrichments for farm animals - Hemsworth

2017

The 7th NAWRDES Forum took place at the University of Melbourne and followed a theme of remote monitoring of animal welfare and animal behaviour.
Presentations:

• Introduction - Tilbrook
• On-farm Welfare Assessment in the Australian Pork Industry – from research to practice - Louden
• Global Animal Partnership 5-Step® Animal Welfare Rating Program - O'Brien
• Why remote monitoring? Integration with on-farm animal and resource measures - Jongman
• Introduction to Precision Livestock Farming
  Using multi-functional technology to reduce costs and create value for the farmer - Norton
• Remote monitoring in Australian Livestock industries Creating value from technology - Lomax
• ASKBILL: enhancing sheep
  wellbeing and productivity - Kahn
• Applying proximity sensors to monitor beef cattle social behaviour as an indicator of animal welfare - Patison
• EU-PLF 
  Bright Farm by Precision Livestock Farming - Norton
  
  

2016

Hosted by Agriculture Victoria at the Attwood facility, the 6th NAWRDES Forum addressed sectoral priorities for animal welfare RD&E.
Presentations:

• Introduction - Tilbrook
• Animal Welfare in Victoria,  Drivers Future challenges Role of government - Milne
• Progressing farm animal welfare across the livestock industries - Tensen
• Animal Welfare, Eating Quality & The Supply – Value Chain - Rutley
• ​Dairy Health & Welfare - Fonterra - Archer
• Welfare Priorities, APL - Mitchell
• Dairy Industry RD&E
  Future directions and priorities, DA - Condron
• Emerging trends and priorities for the red meat industries, MLA - Rothwell

Report:
NAWRDES 2016 Forum Report

2015

The 5th NAWRDES Forum was hosted by Agriculture Victoria at Attwood and focused on emerging animal welfare issues, industry responses. RD&E capability and animal welfare policy drivers.
Presentations:

• AWSC priorities and challenges - AWI, APL, AECL, RIRDC, MLA, AMPC, DA, LiveCorp, CSIRO, CSU, Uni Sydney, UNE, Murdoch, UQ, AWSC

2014

Hosted by the University of Sydney, the 4th NAWRDES Forum addressed emerging animal welfare issues, extension and public attitudes to livestock welfare. 
Presentations:

• Monitoring public attitudes - Coleman
• Novel markers of pain in animals - White
• NAWRDES Project Register - Skuse

•  Animal Welfare R,D&E: Pig industry update - D'Souza
• AECL Hen Welfare RD&E - Jackson
• AMPC Red meat, off farm welfare issues, priorities and projects - McNicholl
• MLA Red meat, on farm, welfare issues, priorities and projects - Rothwell
• RIRDC Chicken Meat Program - Kite
• AWI Current & Emerging Welfare Priorities & Key Projects - Lindon
• DA Dairy Industry RD&E - Condron
• An agricultural innovation systems approach – what does it offer Primary Industry Animal Welfare RD&E? - Nettle
• Getting to the meat of the matter - Social & economic issues in animal welfare in Australia's livestock industries - Bray

2013

The 3rd NAWRDES Forum, hosted by SARDI in Adelaide workshopped potential cross-sectoral projects to identify priorities for co-investment. 
Presentations:

• Identifying and integrating measures of animal welfare that meet the needs of animals and society - Hemsworth
• ​Development of a public attitude monitoring scheme - Rohlf
• Getting to the Meat of the Matter: Social & Economic Issues in Animal Welfare in Australia’s Livestock Industries - Ankeny
• Identified issues - Pre-Forum - Skuse
• NAWRDES Project development process - D'Souza
• Animal welfare RD&E areas identified for potential co-investment ​

​Report:
​NAWRDES 2013 Forum Report

2012

• Hosted by CSIRO in Brisbane, the 2nd NAWRDES Forum considered capability gaps in animal welfare RD&E and potential areas of cross-sectoral investment in priority areas.
  

Presentations:

• Welcome & overview - Sheridan
• Summary of Emerging Issues and Potential Projects - Kroker

​Report:
NAWRDES 2012 Forum Report

2011

The 1st NAWRDES Forum was hosted by Agriculture Victoria at Attwood and aimed to identify priorities for Animal Welfare that are of National importance, have cross sectoral significance and deliver strong collaboration between RD&E providers.
Presentations:

• Overview of the National Primary Industries RD&E Framework - Kefford
• Animal Welfare Assessment - Colditz
• Research investor view, Priorities and opportunities - D'Souza
• The need for animal welfare RD&E - Edge
• Welfare priorities - a provider's view - Phillips
• Public attitudes, social science and community - Coleman

Report:
​​NAWRDES 2011 Forum Report