Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has today (Thursday, October 6) launched the new Farmer and Animal Welfare Network (FAWN).
The initiative comes on the back of a commitment in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025.
FAWN is a renewal and rebranding of what had been previously known as the Early Warning System (EWS), which was originally launched in 2004 to provide a framework within which farm animal welfare problems can be identified before they become critical or overwhelming.
Both the EWS and now the FAWN are managed by the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council (FAWAC), which is chaired by Dr. Ciara Feeney Reid.
“I congratulate Dr. Feeney Reid and members of the FAWAC on the launch of FAWN. I was proud to launch the Animal Welfare Strategy last year, and I am delighted to see one of its actions fulfilled thanks to the work of the FAWAC,” Minister McConalogue said.
He added: “The FAWAC recognised the importance of building on the success of the previous EWS by adding a renewed emphasis on collaboration and co-operation under the aegis of the rebranded and re-energised FAWN.”
According to the department, the original EWS has proved to be a successful animal welfare initiative, and has led to a greater awareness to the factors related to animal welfare, allowing for intervention at an earlier stage when cases arise.
Minister McConalogue commented: “Delivering high animal welfare standards is a job for everyone in our society; for those who own, care for, or are responsible of animals, whether on farms or at home.”
Dr. Feeney Reid, who also attended the launch with the minister, commented: “The overall aim of the renewal is to improve the accessibility and attraction among the farming community to engage with the FAWN, recognising the connections between human and animal welfare and importance of early intervention when problems occur.”
She explained: “The primary aim of the FAWN is help identify and address animal welfare issues and to prevent a deterioration in any difficult situation through collaboration and communication.”