Jag heter Sophie Atkinson och är forskare vid avdelningen för husdjurshygien, Inst för husdjurens miljö och hälsa i Skara. Eftersom jag är engelskspråkig så fortsätter här min hemsida på engelska. I come from southern Australia, where I studied agriculture science at Melbourne university. I worked in Australia in the area of farm animal health, welfare, and disease eradication. In 2000 I completed a masters exam at SLU in Skara in the area of animal biology with specialisation in farm animal transport and the effect on animal welfare and meat quality. I am now in the process of completing a doctoral degree with regard to improving animal welfare during preslaughter handling and at killing in farm animal species. Some of my work areas have included: Lecturing in the science of animal behaviour and its importance to animal handling techniques and design of livestock handling facilities Assessments of EU animal transport legislation Experimental work with testing air quality and animal stress in cattle transported from farm to slaughter in Sweden

Training programs:
Tutor at the SANCO (Better training For Safer Food) training workshop on animal welfare concerning handling and stunning in slaughter houses and in disease control situations. European Commission 2007 (Croatia) and 2010 (Sweden)

Participant in “Low Stress Stock Handling School” 2005 – NSW Australia and 2010 QLD, Australia.
Organiser and participant in “Low stress stock handling School, November 2010, Malmö, Sweden.
http://www.atl.nu/atl-play/angavallen-testar-lss-metoden

Tutor in 2 day workshops for farmers: Safer Animal Handling: Norvik, Norrland, 2011

Completed studies/publications/presentations:
Atkinson, S, Tolo E, Algers, B and Sandstrom, V (2011). Cattle welfare assessments at stunning in old versus new abattoirs.  Recent Advances in the Welfare of Livestock at Slaughter. Centenary International Symposium. Portsmouth, UK.

Atkinson, S. Low stress stock handling. Norvik Omsorg och säkerhet i djurhantering
Torsdag 1/9 på Nordvikskolan
Atkinson, S and Algers B. (2010) Cattle welfare, stun quality and efficiency in 3 abattoirs using different designs of stun box loading, stun box restraint, and weapons. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Skara

Atkinson, S. (2009) Low stress stock handling, A strategy for safer animal handling. LAMK:s Arbetsmiljökonferens, ” Arbetsmiljökonferensen, 9 march 2011, Hamra Gård, Tumba

Atkinson, S. (2009) Assessing cattle welfare at stunning. Proceedings of the 43rd Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

Atkinson, S. (2007). Presentation on “Development of a Stun Quality Audit for pigs and cattle at Slaughter”. 5 day SANCO Workshop on Animal Welfare During Slaughter and Killing (European Commission Initiative on Better Training for Safer Food), Zagreb, Croatia

Atkinson, S. and Algers, B. (2007). Stun Quality in Relation to Cattle Size, Gun Type and Brain hemorrhages. Proceedings of the XIII International Congress in Animal Hygiene (ISAH), Tartu, Estonia

Atkinson, S. and Algers. B (2007). The development of a stun quality audit for cattle and pigs at slaughter. Proceedings of the XIII International Congress in Animal Hygiene (ISAH), Tartu, Estonia

Atkinson, S. (2005). The importance of animal handling technique and animal handling facility design for the welfare of slaughter animals. In:  The proceedings of The Nordic Association of Agricultural Sciences (NJF) Transport and handling of animals, a Nordic challenge

Atkinson, S. (2005). Welfare of farm animals during transport and slaughter. In: Proceedings of 56th meeting of the EEAP Conference, Uppsala, Sweden

Atkinson, S. (2003). Killing methods for end of lay hens and the animal welfare implications, Nordic Poultry Conference, Stockholm Sweden

Atkinson, S. (2003). Physical factors that reduce welfare in transported animals. In: Proceedings of the Nordic Veterinary Congress, Helsinki, Finland

Atkinson, S. and Algers, B. (2005) A measurement of welfare during different handling and killing methods of spent hens in Sweden, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Skara

Atkinson. S. and Algers, B. (2004) A study of symptoms of stun quality in cattle stunned with 1) captive bolt or 2) pneumatic operated stun guns, and the subsequent brain damages found from macroscopic examinations. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Skara

Atkinson, S. and Algers, B. (2004). An investigation of captive bolt stunning in cattle with regard to display of certain consciousness symptoms. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Skara

Atkinson, S. (2003). An investigation of CO2 group stunning in pigs with regard to CO2 concentration, CO2 exposure time, stun group size, stun to stick interval, and stun effect. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Skara 

Atkinson, S. (2003) Killing and handling methods of spent hens in Sweden and other countries, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Skara 2003

Atkinson, S. (2000) Farm animal welfare, transport and meat quality. Masters Thesis. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Skara 2003

List of publications and reports by Sophie Atkinson published by SLU you can find on our page of publications. Would you like to order, please contact: Gunilla Jacobsson.