Stakeholder Advisory Board Meeting

At the end of last month, the AWRN Stakeholder Advisory Board came together for a day of discussion, collaboration, and horizon scanning focused on the future of animal welfare research and engagement.

The day began with a tour of Leckford Estate, where we learned more about the practices being implemented to restore soil health, increase biodiversity, and work towards climate-positive farming across the estate. It was a valuable opportunity to see sustainability and animal welfare considerations being embedded into wider farming systems in practice.

Elle Vercoe-Gibson also shared insights into ethics and sustainability within the Waitrose food chain, highlighting some of the retailer’s key animal welfare commitments and priorities.

It was then over to Professor Gareth Arnott, who introduced the aims of the current AWRN grant and the role of the Stakeholder Advisory Board in helping shape future activities and engagement. Poppy and Rebecca then led discussions around the current make-up of the SAB and wider non-academic membership of the network.

Throughout the day, SAB members took part in a series of collaborative activities focused on:

→ Identifying organisations and individuals who could contribute to the SAB and wider AWRN community.
→ Exploring how best to engage non-academic stakeholders and build this into future AWRN activities.
→ Reviewing research summary formats to improve accessibility and usefulness for stakeholders.
→ Horizon scanning priority areas for improving animal welfare and developing ideas for future AWRN Working Groups.

There was strong enthusiasm for collaborative Working Groups focused on specific animal welfare challenges, alongside valuable discussion around reaching audiences beyond traditional academic spaces.

We are incredibly grateful to Elle Vercoe-Gibson, Waitrose & Partners, and the Leckford Estate team for hosting this in-person meeting.

Thank you again to everyone who attended and contributed their expertise, ideas, and perspectives. We look forward to continuing these conversations as the next stages of the project develop.