Responsible dog ownership and tackling illegal breeding take centre stage at animal welfare conference

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has held a successful Animal Welfare Conference, which brought together leading experts, regulators, and practitioners to explore some of the most pressing issues facing the sector.

The half‑day programme featured sessions covering important regulatory and legislative updates relevant to environmental health professionals from a range of experts in the field, as well a series of case studies highlighting good practice in animal welfare.

The event opened with a session by Sharon Edwards, Consultant Animal Health Inspector at the City of London Corporation, who outlined key policy and regulatory developments for local authorities, including updates to the Animal Welfare Act and recent changes to primate legislation.

Delegates then heard from Lee Gingell, Public Affairs Manager at the RSPCA, and Ruairidh Nichols, Public Affairs Manager at the Dogs Trust, who presented the organisations’ newly developed responsible dog ownership policy framework.

The proposed framework covers five core areas – Good Life (ensuring dogs’ welfare needs are met), Safe and Secure (keeping dogs, people and animals safe), Good Citizen (enabling positive interaction with the wider world), Lifetime Commitment (supporting dogs through all life stages) and Community (systems and services that support responsible ownership).

The conference heard from Lee and Ruairidh that the consultation on the framework is now open and delegates were encouraged to share their insight, experience and practical feedback.

The first of two case study sessions at the conference was delivered by Andy Newnham and Georgia O’Brien from the London Borough of Hounslow, who offered insight from recent illegal dog breeding investigation within their area.

This was followed by a presentation on the Innate Health Assessment tool for local authorities, featuring contributions from Dr Daniel O’Neill, Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College and Vanessa Barnes and Marisa Heath, from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare.

The programme concluded with a second case study showcasing how Colchester City Council is working collaboratively with the ‘Paws on the Doors’ scheme to promote higher animal welfare standards.

Dr Maggie Roberts, from Advovet Consultancy Services, who chaired the conference, said:

“I was delighted to chair this year’s CIEH Animal Welfare Conference. It was fantastic to bring together such a dedicated community of professionals who are all working to improve animal welfare standards across the country.

“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all our speakers for sharing their expertise, experience, and insights throughout the programme and to everyone who attended. Your engagement, questions, and commitment to raising standards made the event truly worthwhile.”

Found out more about upcoming events and conferences organised by CIEH here: www.cieh.org/events