The farm animal welfare advisory council has launched the Farmer and Animal Welfare Network (FAWN), which will seek to identify and prevent animal welfare incidents before they become “critical or overwhelming”.

FAWN will take over from Early Warning System devised by the Department of Agriculture and stakeholders in 2004, with increased farmer engagement an aim of the new network.

The Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue stated at the launch of FAWN that the Early Warning System was a successful programme over its 18 years of operation and commended the previous initiative for preventing welfare problems from progressing.

He was joined by Dr Ciara Feeney Reid, chair of the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council (FAWAC), to launch the FAWN.

“The farm animal welfare advisory council recognised the importance of building on the success of the previous Early Warning System by adding a renewed emphasis on collaboration and co-operation under the aegis of the rebranded and re-energised FAWN,” Minister McConalogue said at the launch.

“Animal welfare is increasingly important to Irish citizens and we are ever more aware of the interrelationship between the welfare of animals and human health and well-being.

“FAWN seeks to embrace the ‘One Health, One Welfare’ ethos by recognising this interconnectedness and assisting the farming community in avoiding and alleviating animal welfare concerns through positive interaction with our network of FAWN groupings.

“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 farm or at home,” he commented.

Engagement is key

Dr Feeney-Reid stated that communication and engagement will be central to FAWN in addressing welfare issues.

“The overall aim of the renewal is to improve the accessibility and attraction among the farming community to engage with FAWN, recognising the connections between human and animal welfare and the importance of early intervention when problems occur,” she said.

“The primary aim of FAWN is to help identify and address animal welfare issues and to prevent a deterioration in any difficult situation through collaboration and communication.”