Accelerating Advances in Animal Welfare

The Accelerating Advances in Animal Welfare program supports the development of innovative solutions to keel bone fractures in cage-free layer hens and alternatives to swine castration.

Development Contact

Lauren Hershey
lhershey@foundationfar.org

This program is no longer accepting applications

About Accelerating Advances in Animal Welfare

Animal health and welfare are key to sustainable food security. Livestock production has intensified in recent years to make meat and dairy products more accessible to consumers; however, the treatment of farm animals in these settings remains controversial. It is often challenging for producers to accommodate natural animal behaviors while reducing injuries and maladaptive behaviors. Additionally, surgical procedures may cause stress and negatively affect animal welfare.

We created the Accelerating Advances in Animal Welfare program to support farm animal welfare research. Animal welfare research plays a critical role in improving sustainable livestock production. This research has the potential to improve animal lives, food quality, farm-laborer work environments and the relationship between our society and the food we eat.

Improving animal production practices includes assessing animal physiology, large-scale alterations in animal housing and environmental and economic impacts. This program pioneers cross-disciplinary research in animal genetics, behavior, biotechnology, husbandry, nutrition, physiology and other scientific areas. 

We identified several program priorities including: 

  • Cage-free poultry welfare, specifically the impact and feasibility of addressing keel fractures; and
  • Swine welfare, specifically the impact and feasibility of developing alternatives to castration.

 

Keel bone x-ray

Accelerating Advances in Animal Welfare Awarded Grants

An Integrated Approach to Improve Whole Herd Pig Survivability

Awarded Amount $999,772   
Year 2018
Matching Funders National Pork Board

Automated Computer Vision System for Tracking Individual Pig Activity and Locomotion in Nursery/Finisher Group Housing

Awarded Amount $49,999   
Year 2018
Matching Funders University of Nebraska

Stolen Kiss – an advanced breeding solution for the animal welfare trait of genetic castration

Awarded Amount $499,443   
Year 2017
Matching Funders DNA Genetics LLC and Open Philanthropy Project

See all Accelerating Advances in Animal Welfare Awarded Grants

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