Friday 18 July 2025
APHA, Weybridge, Addlestone, KT15 3NB
Ticket sales CLOSED
Photo ID required
AWSELFA is delighted to invite you to our summer meeting hosted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). The day will include talks covering the range of responsibilities of the APHA in animal welfare work, including:
- Farm welfare inspections
- Welfare during transport
- Expert witness work and key roles in advising Ministers & Government policy
- Companion animal protection
- Role in CITES
- Illegal puppy / kitten imports
- Markets and slaughter on farm
- Veterinary laboratory forensic work as part of animal welfare investigations
- Protecting animals in zoos
- International animal welfare
Photo ID
Please note: Photo ID will be required (e.g. your passport or driving license). This includes any gov.uk employees.
Agenda
| Time | Topic | Speaker |
| 09:00am- 09:45am | Check in & Coffee / Tea | Allow 30 minutes to check in at security please – photo ID required all attendees including APHA /DEFRA |
| 09:45am – 10.00am | Welcome The three pillars - Protect, Innovate, and Promote- of APHA’s strategic framework, support APHA's mission to safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of people, the environment, and the economy. Protecting animals, and promoting positive animal welfare, whether companion, farmed, working animals, wild or for conservation purposes, is a key responsibility for APHA and its Government partners / DEFRA. AWSELFA’s summer meeting looks to show case just some of the work we do, not only to influence / advise policy but how we practically protect animals, both in the UK and further afield! | APHA Leadership team Richard Lewis (CEO, APHA) or Irene Cristofaro (interim Veterinary Director) (APHA) |
| 10:00am – 11:00am | APHA & animal welfare – it’s not just about farm animal welfare inspections! Between them, Sophia & Rebeca have 36 years of experience at the forefront of advising and influencing UK, European and international Government policy on animal welfare. They will sling shot you through their experiences including some of the highs and lows! | Dr Sophia Hepple & Dr Rebeca Garcia, Animal Welfare Veterinary Advisors, Animal Health & Welfare Advice Services , Professional Advice and Standards Directorate (APHA) |
| 11.00am – 11.20am | Break | |
| 11.20am – 12:05pm | The role of local authorities in animal welfare regulation The UK has a rather complicated way of dealing with animal welfare, that for the most part does not involve the police or the Crown Prosecution Service. Local Authorities have had responsibility for animal licensing of activities for over 100 years as well as key roles in animal health and welfare enforcement for even longer. Steph, with over 30 years in the job is the expert to take you through how local government currently regulates animal welfare | Steph Young, Head of Food, Feed & Animal Health Trading Standards (Staffordshire County Council) & Central England Trading Standards Authorities (CEnTSA) representative |
| 12:05am – 12:45pm | Humane On-Farm Killing: Welfare, Legal, and Ethical Perspectives Killing livestock on-farm presents both opportunities and challenges in maintaining high welfare standards. Drawing on recent examples—including avian influenza depopulation, African Swine Fever preparedness, routine and emergency on farm culling and small-scale poultry slaughter, —Joe, an APHA veterinary adviser leading on welfare at the time of killing, will explore the legal, ethical, and welfare considerations involved. This session will explore how these key considerations inform both policy and operational delivery, supporting APHA’s role as the regulator for on-farm animal welfare at the time of killing and in responding effectively to notifiable disease outbreaks | Joe Anzuino, Animal Welfare veterinary Advisor, Animal Health & Welfare Advice Services , Professional Advice and Standards Directorate (APHA) |
| 12:45am – 13:30 pm | Lunch break | |
| 13:30 pm – 14:30pm | The role of CITES in animal welfare protection and the animal welfare consequences of illegal trade Most of you will be aware that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments to ensure that trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival, with regulation/restriction on trade of over 40,000 species. However, what happens to the illegally smuggled animals that our compliance teams uncover and can there be a happy ever after? Liezl as head of compliance for CITES and the Ivory Act takes us through the work of her team and the welfare consequences for some of the endangered animals that people attempt to smuggle through UK borders | Liezl Martin (CITES) Compliance Delivery Manager; UK Ivory Act and CITES. Centre for International Trade Bristol (APHA) |
| 14:30pm – 15:30 pm | Reintroduction of the Eurasian Beaver into UK ecosystems – the challenges, the triumphs and the future The Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber, is a semi aquatic rodent and was once an established species in the UK; it was hunted /exploited to extinction across most of Europe, in the 12th to 16th centuries. In 2013, breeding beavers were discovered on the River Otter in East Devon; how they came to be there remains a mystery. Natural England ran a trial between 2015 and 2020 to permit licensed reintroduction, to evaluate the impact of this former native species on the local ecosystems; since then they have established rules relating to management of the beavers, to ensure their health and welfare is maintained, whilst keeping the local landowners and water companies engaged and on board with their reintroduction. Dawn takes us through the challenges of this and looks to the future for this interesting ecosystem engineer. | Dawn Phythian (Natural England) Specialist Services |
| 15:30pm – 15:50 pm | Break | |
| 15:50pm – 16:30pm | APHA’s veterinary laboratory forensics – the role of laboratory tests and post-mortems in animal welfare cases Most people will be aware that APHA’s laboratory services provide a key role in animal disease surveillance, providing subsidised testing / post-mortem services, to optimise the Uk’s scanning surveillance for new and emerging diseases. However, vets working in APHA’s labs, also provide support for animal welfare cases that our field delivery staff are involved in, undertaking examination of material, providing witness statement and expert forensics knowledge when cases come to court. Moyna led on this area for a number of years before leaving the labs to join our welfare team in advice services; she will describe how lab and post-mortem forensics provide valuable evidence to welfare cases. | Moyna Richey - Animal Welfare Veterinary Advisor, Animal Health & Welfare Advice Services , Professional Advice and Standards Directorate (APHA) |
| 16:30pm – 17:30pm | Illegal imports of puppies, kittens and other animals and welfare during transport issues It’s not just endangered species that people bring across the borders; the port at Dover and the airport at Heathrow sees a large volume of legal movements to and through the UK. However recent years have seen an upturn in the illegal movement of high value puppies and kittens, transported at far too young an age, in sometimes horrendous conditions. Angela has extensive experience of checking the animals coming through Dover and is going to explain how they deal with the animals brought into the country in unacceptable conditions, with some case studies | Angela King & Gail Camp /Chloe Ling (APHA) |
| 17:30pm – 17:45pm | Wrap up | Karen Hiestand (Chair of AWSELFA) |