Abstract
Simple SummaryNowadays, animal welfare is seen as a ‘common good’ and a societal expectation. Veterinarians are expected to promote and ensure the welfare of animals under their care by using their scientific knowledge and skills in ethical reasoning and advocacy. In 2013, the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) and the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) adopted the Day-1 competences on animal welfare science, ethics and law for veterinary undergraduate education after having surveyed 33 European veterinary schools in 2012. In 2019, a follow-up survey was done to monitor the evolution of animal welfare teaching in Europe. A total of 82 responses were received, representing 57 veterinary schools from 25 European countries. Overall results showed that the teaching of animal welfare science, ethics and law has increased in response to growing societal needs, and that welfare is more and more internally embedded in the profession, which is reflected in the curriculum.Nowadays, animal welfare is seen as a ‘common good’ and a societal expectation. Veterinarians are expected to promote and ensure the welfare of animals under their care by using their scientific knowledge and skills in ethical reasoning and advocacy. Veterinary education must equip veterinary graduates with the necessary competences to fulfil these roles. In 2013, the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) and the European Association of Establishment of Veterinary Education (EAEVE) adopted the Day-1 competences on animal welfare science, ethics and law for veterinary undergraduate education after having surveyed European veterinary schools in 2012. In 2019, the FVE carried out a follow-up survey to monitor the evolution of animal welfare teaching in Europe. A total of 82 responses were received, representing 57 faculties from 25 European countries. Overall results showed that the teaching of animal welfare science, ethics and law has increased in response to growing societal needs, and that welfare is more and more internally embedded in the profession, which is reflected in the curriculum. Nevertheless, at least one quarter of European schools still only partially meet the 2013 Day-1 competencies. This indicates the need for greater efforts, both from the EAEVE and from individual schools, to ensure that the teaching of animal welfare across Europe is standardised.
Highlights
Nowadays, animal welfare is seen as a ‘common good’ and, as such, as a shared responsibility and an ethical obligation [1]
Overall results showed that the teaching of animal welfare science, ethics and law has increased in response to growing societal needs, and that welfare is more and more internally embedded in the profession, which is reflected in the curriculum
Veterinarians do, and should, play a key role in promoting animal welfare by virtue of their scientific knowledge of animals’ wants and needs, their skills in ethical reasoning and decision-making, and their advocacy within the legal framework [4,5]. To fulfil this role in promoting animal welfare, it is of the utmost importance that veterinary students, during their undergraduate studies, receive robust education on animal welfare science, ethics and law, including practical teaching and clear explanations of how this interacts with other veterinary fields such as genetics, animal health and food safety
Summary
Animal welfare is seen as a ‘common good’ and, as such, as a shared responsibility and an ethical obligation [1]. Veterinarians do, and should, play a key role in promoting animal welfare by virtue of their scientific knowledge of animals’ wants and needs, their skills in ethical reasoning and decision-making, and their advocacy within the legal framework [4,5]. That document adopted six Day-1 competences in AWSEL, expressed in terms of 34 learning objectives (Table 1) This 2013 model curriculum is part of the EAEVE/FVE evaluation and accreditation system which ensures that the agreed upon benchmark educational levels are met
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