2026: New Animal welfare conversations

Welcome to 2026, and new episodes of the Animal Welfare Conversation.  In this introductory episode we have a sneak preview of the new interviews, covering a broad range of topics including animal welfare science, climate change, the sixth mass extinction and dog breeding. So much is happening in the veterinary profession at the moment, including the CMA report and review of the Veterinary Surgeons Act. There are many opportunities here for the veterinary profession to have a greater influence on animal welfare and also to develop more confidence within the profession itself.  We also have an update about the Animal Welfare Medal. We received many, many nominations and it has taken much longer than I anticipated to reach a final decision. We're awarding more than one winner, and will be contacting everyone this week. Many thanks to vet nurses Emma Ruggles and Nikki McLeod for joining me on the judging panel - it was a very difficult decision. More information will be released soon.  Please sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with everything that's happening. The first full episode of 2026 will be along on Friday 27th February.  I hope you enjoy the Animal Welfare Conversation.