Welfare ‘Goliaths’ join new evidence centre project

Plans have been outlined for a new Animal Welfare Evidence Centre (AWEC), which officials believe could be a “game changer” in reducing harms.

The project, which is due to be formally launched in September, is being led by four organisations – the RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming, Four Paws UK and Humane World for Animals UK.

Jennifer Maher, the centre’s newly appointed head of research, said its prospects were enhanced by the involvement of the four organisations which she described as welfare “Goliaths”.

‘Important and exciting’

She added: “This has the potential to be one of the most important and exciting developments in UK animal welfare – a real game changer.”

The AWEC’s initial research aims to model the economic costs of animal cruelty to help strengthen the case for increased government investment in prevention efforts.

Other topics that are expected to form part of its research strategy include links between domestic abuse and animal harms, the implications of artificial intelligence for animal care and dissonance between individual behaviours and the UK’s status as a nation of animal lovers.

Consolidate evidence

Dr Maher, previously an associate professor in the University of South Wales’ Centre of Criminology, said: “We cannot fix a problem we don’t fully understand.

“‘The purpose of the centre is to bring the welfare sector together to consolidate existing evidence, identify gaps and generate new social science and multidisciplinary research to further our understanding of the systemic drivers of animal abuse.

“That insight is what helps encourage stakeholders to not only deal with the symptoms of cruelty, but to actually work to cure the causes.”

The project, which RSPCA director and new board chair Thomas Schultz-Jagow described as a “quantum leap” in understanding, has been supported by a donation from the Katherine Martin Charitable Trust.

He added:  “This is our chance to understand more about why our society and culture too readily normalises animal harms, what drives humans to abuse animals, and what needs to happen to deliver truly transformational change for animals and humans alike.”