Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare

Our aim is to advance responsible animal management, welfare, and sustainable food production while ensuring high product quality. Through research and education, we focus on feed and nutrition, management and environment, ethology and animal ethics, as well as animal welfare and protection.

Research

Explore current research at our department
Close-up of an English Springer Spaniel. Photo by Lisa Chröisty.

Projects for bachelor’s and master’s theses

We offer a wide range of thesis opportunities, covering both applied and fundamental topics and focusing on many different animal species.

Close-up of two young pigs in a pen. Photo Marie Liljeholm.

Doctoral thesis on probiotics and prebiotics in pigs

Lidija Arapovic has studied how early dietary supplements affect the gut microbiota, metabolism and behaviour of pigs.

News

  • 2025-08-01

    Animal welfare controls - but how? Progress towards better welfare for Swedish dairy cows

    To ensure the welfare of dairy cows in Sweden there is legislation and controls on dairy farms. But are today's animal welfare controls really optimally designed to understand and monitor the physical and mental well-being of cows? These are questions asked by research - that have now been answered.
  • 2025-06-03

    Interdisciplinary Academy (IDA) grantees 2025-2026

    The fourth round of the Interdisciplinary Academy (IDA) at SLU starts on September 1, 2025. Two groups of five researchers each will spend eight months delving into and exploring interdisciplinary working methods during 20% of their working time.
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THV report series

The reports in the THV series are based on current research and provide valuable insights into our various research areas.
Discover our reports

Swedish Centre for Animal Welfare

SCAW is a centre at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) that focuses on animal welfare issues.

Young cattle grazing outside SLU Götala beef and lamb research. Photo by Karin Wallin.

SLU Götala Beef and Lamb Research Centre

SLU’s research facility for beef and lamb production is located two kilometres outside Skara.

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