The 2013 winners of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Animal Welfare Science were presented with their awards in Barcelona at the Federation’s International Symposium ‘Science in the Service of Animal Welfare: Priorities around the world’. A commemorative medal and £3,000 was presented to Professor John Webster who has been very influential in the development of animal welfare science internationally.
John Webster is Professor Emeritus at the University of Bristol School of Veterinary Science. Soon after his appointment to the Chair of Animal Husbandry at Bristol in 1977, he established a unit for the study of behaviour and welfare. This has grown into what is today a major international centre of expertise – the Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science Group. As a founder member of the Farm Animal Welfare Council, it was John who first propounded the 5 Freedoms – a concept that has had a worldwide influence on standards for, and approaches to the assessment of, the welfare of domesticated animals. He has published many papers on aspects of animal welfare science and the subjects to which he has made important contributions include cattle lameness and welfare assessment methods. He has published several books in the field including two in the UFAW/ Wiley Blackwell series: ‘Animal Welfare: limping towards Eden’ and ‘Management and Welfare of Farm Animals’. Among other responsibilities he has been President of the Nutrition Society and President of the British Society for Animal Science.