1. Measuring positive animal welfare workshop
Thursday 11th May 2017
Peter Wilson Building at King's Building, SRUC

2. Aims and objectives
The Scottish Government currently fund a novel collaboration between Bristol University and SRUC to consult with dairy cattle and sheep farmers to identify and develop positive welfare measures
Unique opportunity to contribute to this emerging policy development
Forge new collaborations across the AWRN by having an opportunity to identify future positive welfare research priorities
Hear about happiness in non human primates to inform and inspire more multidisciplinary research ideas and potential collaboration

3. Programme of the day
Welcome and overview of the SRUC and University of Bristol positive animal welfare project
Cathy Dwyer, SRUC ( )

4. Positive welfare: where did it come from and what does it add to the debate over animal welfare? Alistair Lawrence, SRUC and the Roslin Institute ( )
“This talk will look at the origins of the positive welfare concept and the main frameworks that have been proposed and the similarities and distinctions between them. It will also consider the science of assessing positive welfare and the scientific literature relating to on-farm assessment of positive welfare. Lastly it will consider what positive welfare can add to both the science and delivery of improved animal welfare. For example: a change of focus from making small steps to reduce negatives, to more radical changes to maximise positives; discovery of new biological insights into positive emotional states which could help promote positive welfare; and lastly the consideration that a focus on positive welfare maybe a more effective approach in causing substantive behavioural change across the supply chain.”

5. Practicalities of assessing positive animal welfare in farm assurance Siobhan Mullan, University of Bristol ( )
“Many consumers want to buy products from happy animals, or animals that have had a 'good life', and high welfare farm assurance schemes would like to demonstrate they can provide these products. But, there are particular challenges with assessing positive welfare on farms and in the context of farm assurance. Have we got any measures that are sufficiently valid, reliable and trainable that we can use?”

6. Feedback on positive welfare measures: have your say Small group workshop session (11.45-12.45)

7. How similar is the happiness of humans to that of their primate relations? Alexander Weiss, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh and Scottish Primate Research Group ( )
“Although it has long been acknowledged that nonhuman primates experience emotions, it is unclear whether these emotions are like our own at a basic level, differ in fundamental ways, or lay somewhere between these two poles. Addressing this thorny scientific (and philosophical) question is challenging, but has been made possible by the advent of reliable and well-validated instruments for measuring well-being, welfare, and personality in nonhuman primates. Research using these instruments has found similarities in the associations between aspects of well-being in humans and in nonhuman primates, but also cross-species similarities in the association between personality and happiness, and in the developmental trajectories of happiness. Most intriguingly, discoveries about the genetic roots of the links between personality and happiness in nonhuman primates have since been mirrored by similar discoveries about human happiness. These findings suggest that who, among us, tends to experience happiness, why they experience happiness, and the consequences of experiencing happiness, were laid down long before the emergence of modern humans.”

8. How can we validate positive animal welfare measures
How can we validate positive animal welfare measures? Suzanne Held, University of Bristol ( pm)
“The idea of the presentation is to consider what we want to achieve when validating measures of positive welfare and, consequently, how such validation can be achieved. Assuming stakeholders prefer scientifically validated measures, how might science help? How do we, or should we, set about validating and developing such measures? Where should we look to for starting points? Are we looking in the right places? How important are sensitivity and reliability?  At what point should we consider practicability and trainability for quick in situ welfare assessment?”

9. Highlights and roundup of the day Refreshments and depart
Future research needs and collaborations in positive animal welfare Small group workshop session (3-4pm)
Highlights and roundup of the day
David Main and Marie Haskell (4-4.20pm)
Refreshments and depart
( pm)