Environment and animal welfare Agria’s top priorities at vet show

Agria Pet Insurance has announced a sustainable theme for its promotions at London Vet Show 2021.

The insurer, which became the first in the UK to become carbon neutral earlier this year, is sponsoring the BVA Congress keynote environmental speech during the event.

“Polar thinking” will involve Tamsin Edwards explaining how climate science works, how to deal with polarisation and tackle the question of how humans can make sense of a complex and uncertain future. Dr Edwards will cover climate science, which contains “opposites, uncertainties and shades of grey”.

New tool

The Agria Pet Insurance stand will also host a new tool in animal welfare, the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG), presented by PhD student Rachel Malkani and Sarah Wolfensohn.

Supported by a research fund from Agria, the AWAG is online software designed to assess and monitor animals’ welfare and cumulative lifetime experience. It is currently available for use in dogs, cattle, horses, and a range of zoo species for clinicians and animal welfare professionals, allowing welfare to be tracked and monitored over time to assess the impact of treatments and other events in an animal’s life.

It also provides a visual representation of welfare, which is extremely useful when discussing quality of life with owners.

Important event

Nick White, head of veterinary at Agria, said: “The London Vet Show is one of the most important events in our calendar, and we’re so pleased to see its return this year.

“Becoming the UK’s first carbon neutral pet insurer is a position we are continually looking to build on, so supporting Dr Edwards’ keynote speech is a real honour.

“We’re also delighted to support the AWAG. Animal welfare is always at the forefront of our minds, and software that can show an accurate picture of welfare to help with decision-making will be revolutionary for the veterinary industry.”