Applications invited for two HSA Awards
24 September 2014
The HSA is now inviting applications for the Humane Slaughter Award and the Dorothy Sidley Memorial Scholarships 2015.
Humane Slaughter Award
The HSA’s Humane Slaughter Award scheme aims to help give recognition to important contributions and to help promote the pursuit of further advances. It is open to individuals or organisations, anywhere in the world, whose work has resulted in significant advances in the humane slaughter of farmed livestock such as cattle, sheep, pigs, other mammals, poultry or fish.
Winners of the HSA Humane Slaughter Award in recent years include Dr Bert Lambooij of Wageningen University, The Netherlands (pictured receiving his award above), the IRTA/UAB Animal Welfare Research Group, Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA)/Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), and the Stunning and Slaughter Group of the University of Bristol Veterinary School.
The HSA is keen to receive applications, or nominations of potential candidates from third parties, relating to advances in science or important technological developments that have led or are leading to advances in humane slaughter. The award is for £3,000 and the deadline for the receipt of applications or nominations is 12th December 2014.
Dorothy Sidley Memorial Scholarships
The Dorothy Sidley Memorial Scholarships were established in 1986 as a memorial to the late Dorothy Sidley MBE, who was General Secretary of the HSA for 48 years. They support students and industry trainees undertaking research projects that are aimed at improving the welfare of food animals during transport, in markets or at slaughter. Undergraduate and postgraduate students in agricultural, veterinary or meat sciences, or trainees in the livestock, meat and fish industries in the UK, are eligible, as are students registered at universities outside the UK that have a UFAW/HSA University ‘LINK’ person (see www.ufaw.org.uk/links-news-events.php). Each Scholarship is for up to £2,000
Applicants are encouraged to design research projects in areas they are particularly interested in. Projects now being undertaken by current scholars include: investigating equine stunning and slaughter methods; examining electrical current profiles during head-only stunning of sheep; investigating behavioural responses of poultry to Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning; and a project to evaluate and enhance stakeholder knowledge of OIE animal welfare standards in SE Asia.
For 2014 the HSA is also making some suggestions for research areas including: possible refinements to electrical stunners used in small-scale poultry slaughter; the associations
between transport variables and fish welfare; the constraints to the adoption of higher welfare methods of stunning around the world; and the effect of cattle breed temperament on welfare in abattoirs. Closing date for applications for the 2015 Scholarships is 27th February 2015.