Dr Teresa Collins

RESPECTED veterinarian and animal ethics expert Dr Teresa Collins will shed fresh light on how science-based measurements can improve animal welfare outcomes at the livestock export industry’s national conference, LIVEXforum 2016, in Canberra on October 26-27.

Dr Collins is a senior lecturer in Animal Welfare and Ethics at Murdoch University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Perth and currently sits on several national committees including Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Welfare and Ethics group, and the National Animal Welfare RDE strategy committee.

She has also served as an elected member of the National AVA Live Export Task Force in 2011-12, is passionate about seeking a “shared understanding” of livestock production and animal wellbeing.

Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council chief executive officer Simon Westaway described Dr Collins as a genuine leader in her chosen field of research.

“Dr Collins’ work is of great importance to our industry’s research and development agenda because of her focus on identifying objective and practical ways to measure and continuously improve welfare, in the livestock export supply chain,” Mr Westaway said.

After spending her childhood on a dairy farm at Camden in NSW, Dr Collins graduated in veterinary science from the University of Sydney and subsequently spent a decade in vet practice.

Dr Collins returned to study and earned a PhD, after which she moved to Western Australia to take up a research and lecturer position at Murdoch’s veterinary school.

In 2010, Dr Collins was awarded membership of the Animal Welfare Chapter of the Australian and NZ College of Veterinary Scientists. She has also gone on to develop curricula for teaching welfare and behaviour to vet undergraduates and has published over 25 papers.

Built around the theme of ‘Striking the social balance: Regulation, Accountability and Profitability’, the LIVEXforum 2016 will have a strong focus on the latest developments in livestock welfare, with another prominent scientist, Professor David Mellor, set to deliver a presentation on new ways of thinking about animal welfare.

“The program is in keeping with the Australian livestock export industry’s commitment to continuous improvement together with ongoing reform as a global leader in all facets of the livestock export supply chain,” Mr Westaway said.

“ALEC and LiveCorp are looking forward to hosting what promises to be very dynamic discussion about the opportunities and challenges facing our $2 billion industry.”

For more information and to register: www.livexchangeconference.com.au

Source: ALEC.