Symposium includes livestream of dairy keynote speaker

This year’s Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare’s (CCSAW) 8th annual Research Symposium will include poultry and companion animal sessions, as well as a dairy focus with keynote speaker Dr. Jeff Rushen.

Rushen will outline what science has taught us about the best practices for handling dairy cattle, and about exploring positive emotions in animals by studying play in young calves and how that may be useful in the assessment of animal welfare.

He has worked on many aspects of animal welfare in poultry, sheep, swine and beef and dairy cattle in Australia, Germany, Sweden and Canada. He is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia, at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at Saskatoon and at the University of Laval in Quebec. He has on-going collaborative research in Japan, Denmark and Finland with current interests in welfare assessment of dairy cows and play behaviour, milk-feeding, sickness behaviour and welfare assessment of calves.

Rushen’s two, 30-minute presentations will be livestreamed on Wednesday, May 13 starting at 10:55 a.m. EST and 2:35 p.m. EST.

10:55 a.m. EST - What science has taught us about best practices for handling dairy cattle. Click here.

2:35 a.m. EST - Play behaviour, positive emotions and the assessment of animal welfare. Click here.