AVMA Expedites Implementation of Animal Welfare Advisory Committee

January 18, 2006 — AVMA Press Release

(SCHAUMBURG, Ill.) January 13, 2006--The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is seeking nominations for its Animal Welfare Advisory Committee. The AVMA Executive Board, at a special meeting today, approved expediting activation of the Committee. Implementation was originally scheduled for July 2007. The Committee is now expected to begin its work this spring.

The Animal Welfare Advisory Committee will be composed of seven voting members representing food animal practice/production animal medicine (preferably involved with a large agricultural enterprise), companion animal practice, wildlife/exotic animal medicine, humane/welfare organization (must be employed by an organization), laboratory animal medicine, commercial food production company (must be employed by a company to work on animal welfare), and large animal medicine (equine preferred).

The group is charged with developing a set of overarching veterinary animal welfare principles that are directly applicable to the veterinary profession and will serve as the basis for the AVMA to develop and judge proposed and existing animal welfare policies, resolutions and actions. The Committee will sunset after approval of the principles; maximum duration will be one year.

To nominate a veterinarian for the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, go to http://www.avma.org/about_avma/governance/nomination_forms.asp. Nominations must be received by March 1, 2006.

[Ed. Two of the committee positions, food animal practice/production animal medicine and commercial food production company, will likely be filled by food animal veterinarians. AASV's AVMA representatives, Drs. David Madsen (House of Delegates Representative) and Bill Hollis (Alternate) are working with other food animal veterinary representatives to designate nominees to fill these two committee positions. This committee is charged with developing broad guidelines by which AVMA will judge future and existing welfare issues and, as such, will be instrumental in shaping the official veterinary position on the topic of animal welfare.]

###

The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world. More than 73,000 member veterinarians are engaged in a wide variety of professional activities. AVMA members are dedicated to advancing the science and art of veterinary medicine including its relationship to public health and agriculture. Visit the AVMA Web site at http://www.avma.org to learn more about veterinary medicine, disaster response and animal care and to access up-to-date information on the association's issues, policies and activities.