World Veterinary Day 2014 - Animal Welfare in Rural Settings

The theme of this year’s World Veterinary Day is Animal Welfare. Through the work of numerous organizations such as PETA, animal welfare has become a social movement, primarily focusing on the fair treatment of animals. However, animal welfare goes beyond just addressing animal cruelty, it looks at the overall wellbeing of animals.

As 2014 is also the International Year of Family Farming, it is important to look at animal welfare in rural settings, which is affected by the lack or limitations in basic resources for these animals such as animal health solutions and proper nutrition. In rural Uganda, for instance, majority of the households carry poultry and other livestock. However, access to these health solutions for animals is inadequate due to limited funds, technology, education and other resources. 

Brentec Vaccines is a manufacturing company in Uganda that is dedicated to improving and protecting the health and welfare of rural farm animals in Africa. By teaching rural farmers how to take care of their animals properly, providing them with preventative animal health solutions, and educating them about diseases and treatments, we hope to transform the livelihood of both the farmers and the animals in rural households.

Animal welfare is not just important for animals and animal activists. It affects all of us because healthy animals that are farmed correctly can play a pivotal role in improving public health through a number of contributing factors, including income, hygiene, health, and nutrition to name a few. So by increasing the value we place on animal welfare we are in turn investing in the wellbeing of human beings as well.