An overview

The NZVA views the veterinary profession as a primary guardian of the welfare of all animals.

The NZVA's animal welfare strategy and supporting animal welfare structure focuses on enabling and promoting our membership as having the knowledge, skills and leadership in the field of animal welfare and wellbeing. As well as our organisation-wide strategy, we are also currently developing smaller, focused strategies for each of our special interest branches.

NZVA's position on animal welfare is backed by VCNZ’s Code of Professional Conduct which indicates clearly that veterinarians have a primary responsibility for animal welfare. See their full animal welfare section.

And more recently, the introduction of the Animal Welfare Veterinary Toolkit - designed by NZVA and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry - has given veterinarians practical guidance for addressing animal welfare issues on farms.

The NZVA has a number of policies relating to animal welfare issues. Find out more about these here.

We employ a dedicated Animal Welfare Coordinator, Dr Virginia Williams. For more information email animalwelfare [at] vets [dot] org [dot] nz