EAST LANSING, Mich., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Far from being a topic rooted only in science, how we protect animal welfare is affected by such diverse elements as politics, ethics and semantics, international speakers at a welfare symposium at Michigan State University said Monday.

The three-day Joint International Educational Symposium on Animal Welfare, developed and co-sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), kicked off with speakers from as far away as Australia and nearby as East Lansing discussing the vast array of inputs and influences affecting animal welfare decisions.

Dan Marsman, DVM, Ph.D., chair of the AVMA Animal Welfare Committee and head of the Animal Welfare and Animal Alternatives Section, Product Safety & Regulatory Affairs Department at Procter & Gamble, was particularly excited at the opportunity to bring together a diverse group of individuals with such broad backgrounds to exchange information and determine how they might work cooperatively to find reasonable approaches to animal welfare challenges.

"Although our roles and experiences may be vastly different, we all have a vested interest in good animal welfare outcomes," Dr. Marsman said. "It's important for scientists and others who have valuable information to contribute to be able to come together in one venue to provide their perspectives and share ideas."

Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the AVMA, agrees.

"There are few issues closer to the hearts of veterinarians than animal welfare, and that's why we felt it was important at the AVMA for us to be co-hosting this first-of-its-kind symposium," he said.

How animal welfare-related science and ethics are addressed within academic veterinary medicine and the current research environment at academic veterinary medicine institutions will be examined.

"Animal Welfare is becoming an increasingly important topic," said Dr. Marguerite Pappaioanou, executive director of the AAVMC. "This meeting begins the important discussion about what every graduate should know about animal welfare when they leave a college of veterinary medicine."

Visit www.avma.org and www.aavmc.org to learn more about veterinary medicine.

SOURCE American Veterinary Medical Association

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