Dear friends,

Following the UK’s recent announcement of its Action Plan for Animal Welfare, this edition of AgriSustainability Matters looks at the evolution and the state of play of animal welfare protection in Brazil.

Brazil is stepping up its legal framework for the protection of animal welfare. It is perhaps the only country in the world where the prohibition of cruelty to animals is enshrined in the Constitution. Moreover, Brazil’s livestock industry has all it takes to actively promote the `five animal freedoms` as provided for in the global framework of animal welfare protection.

These are all points made by Professor Adroaldo Zanella in the piece he has written for us. An expert on animal welfare in Brazil, Professor Zanella’s experience in the field spans four decades and two continents. Having completed his PhD at Cambridge University under the supervision of renowned Professor Donald Broom, he then worked for eleven years at Michigan State University before becoming Full Professor of Animal Welfare at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science and subsequently at the Scotland’s Rural College. In 2013, Professor Zanella returned to Brazil and was tasked with creating a centre of excellence on animal welfare at the University of São Paulo School of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, where he currently teaches.

Professor Adroaldo Zanella’s piece shows us that in Brazil, just like agrisustainability, animal welfare matters.

Enjoy the reading.

Fred Arruda

Ambassador of Brazil in the United Kingdom