The Department of Animal Environment and Health is one of the leading centres for research in animal welfare and animal protection.

Our work spans from basic to applied research, mainly with agricultural animals, but also companion, sport and laboratory animals.

It involves fundamental questions related to the behavioural and physiological responses of animals, their cognitive abilities and affective states.

It also involves developing methods to assess welfare in practice on farm and at slaughter and the level of protection in the context of official and private animal welfare controls.

It is not only poor welfare, the department is proactive in research to promote positive welfare by investigating positive emotions in animals and the effects of positive early experiences on later welfare.

Our focus is within the natural sciences and our aim to advance the science of animal welfare. We consider all types of interactions between an animal and its environment (including people). For these reasons, we collaborate with researchers in the environmental sciences, ethics and humanities to take holistic approaches to the subject of animal welfare.

Researchers in the department provide advice in animal welfare policy, sit on a several national and international boards. We are also active in the implementation of animal welfare science into practice and its link to sustainable development.

Our research can be grouped into three broad areas: