We are delighted to welcome a new Centre of Excellence which will create a focal point for Animal Welfare Education across the globe.
Improving the well-being of animals worldwide and challenging what is currently acceptable in the way animals are used and treated will be the focus of the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education at the University of Edinburgh.
The Centre will be a key resource of expertise for animal welfare education. It will strengthen the current provision of animal welfare and ethics in veterinary education and establish new veterinary courses. Collaboration with international partners will improve the understanding of animal welfare issues. It will engage with politicians and governments with the aim of improving animal welfare and seeking alternatives to the use of animals in education and in all other areas of research.
The Centre will actively seek to make determined progress towards a situation where all animals are free from distress, suffering and hunger, are able to express their normal behaviours, are no longer misused and their rights as sentient beings respected. It hopes to achieve far-reaching changes in people’s attitudes and knowledge through instruction and training at all levels. Animals and their welfare will be placed first and the boundaries of what is currently legally acceptable will be constantly challenged for the benefit of animals.
The Marchig Animal Welfare Trust has donated £2 million to establish the centre which will open next year. It will form an integral part of the University’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, one of the foremost veterinary teaching schools in the world.
Professor Elaine Watson, Head of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, said: “Improving animal welfare should be one of the main goals of the veterinary profession. The objective of the Centre is to make determined progress towards a situation where all animals are free from distress, suffering and hunger through instruction and training at all levels.
“The new Centre will also provide a platform for debating the important ethical issues which practitioners are faced with every day in veterinary practice and research. We are delighted that we have been given the opportunity to set up this important new Centre and about the role it will play in raising awareness of animal welfare globally.”
Madame Jeanne Marchig, who established the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust, said:
“The centre will provide an important role in education to strive towards improving the quality of life for animals. We know that by debating the issues, raising awareness of concerns and pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable across different borders we can make a positive impact for animal welfare today and in the future both within and outside of the veterinary profession.”