10 October 2014

3 minute read

Europe

Registration is now open for the HSA International Symposium 2015. Visit www.hsa.org.uk/internationalsymposium for more information.

Around the world, over 100 billion animals are transported, marketed and slaughtered annually in order to provide food. Growing meat consumption and an increasingly globalised food supply chain add to the need to develop improvements in animal welfare during transport, marketing and slaughter. These challenges, combined with increased consumer concern, are stimulating new developments and the adoption of higher welfare standards in many parts of the world.

The HSA is holding a second International Symposium, in Zagreb, Croatia, to present and discuss recent scientific and technological advances in this field, and the application and uptake of advances around the world. The event will also be an opportunity to help identify future priorities and to provide a forum for sharing information and experiences.

The following keynote speakers have already been confirmed:

• Professor Yvonne Thaxton, Professor and Director of the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing at the University of Arkansas: From Idea to Reality: The Development of the Low Atmosphere Stunning System
• Dr Mara Miele, Reader at the Cardiff School of Planning and Geography: Making slaughter of livestock acceptable to the consumer: how science, technology and religion affect the public debate about slaughtering practices
• Tozie Zokufa, Program Manager for Africa at Humane Society International and Chairman of PAAWA: Humane Slaughter: Is Africa there yet? Challenges and Opportunities
• Dr Andrea Gavinelli, Head of Animal Welfare Unit at the European Commission: The European Commission’s work to improve food animal welfare at slaughter.

Call for papers

The HSA is still accepting submissions from those interested in making a contribution to the symposium on subjects related to the theme of recent advances in food animal welfare during transport, marketing and slaughter or killing.

Please submit a provisional title and abstract to the HSA, along with your full contact details, and also indicating whether you wish to submit a poster or oral presentation or both. See the HSA website for guidance on formatting abstracts. The deadline for the submission of abstracts is 26 November 2014.

Delegate registration

Registration is now open. Forms for attending the symposium are available from the HSA website.
Early registration costs UK£180 per delegate until 27 February 2015; after that date, registration will be £215 per delegate. There are a limited number of student places available at £130 per delegate for early registration, received before 27 February 2015, or £160 thereafter. The cost includes lunch and refreshments on both days and an evening drinks reception on 16 July 2015.

The symposium will be held at the Hotel Dubrovnik. A special conference rate is available for delegates who book accommodation at the Hotel Dubrovnik before 1 March 2015. Forms are available from the HSA web site.

Contact details

Submit abstracts and completed registration forms to Nathan Rhys Williams, HSA International Symposium 2015, HSA, The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, AL4 8AN, UK. Tel: +44(0)1582 831919 Fax: +44(0)1582 831414 Web: www.hsa.org.uk Email: [email protected].

This conference has been organised with the assistance of Dr Mario Ostovic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zagreb.

The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW), the HSA’s sister charity, is holding a symposium at the same venue on 14 to 15 July 2015, see www.ufaw.org.uk for further details.

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