Frida Lundmark Hedman

Before my academic career, I worked with animal welfare at the governmental level. First as an animal welfare inspector and later as an officer at the Central Competent Authority in Sweden (Swedish Animal Welfare Agency/the Swedish Board of Agriculture). Having worked practically with animal welfare and legislation is a strength now that I conduct research and teach in this field.

My doctoral thesis (2016) examined different regulatory frameworks and underlying values that govern and influence animal welfare and animal welfare inspections. It was an interdisciplinary project that included subjects such as animal protection, animal welfare, ethics, and law. Animal welfare is inherently interdisciplinary, which makes it complex, but since reality itself is complex, different aspects need to be considered in order for results to be applicable in practice.

My research focuses on animal welfare and what we humans do, and can do, to provide animals with a certain level of welfare. Much of my research is connected to the regulatory frameworks surrounding animal welfare. Areas I have focused on in recent years include:

• Animal keepers’ experiences and perceptions of undergoing animal welfare inspections
• Animal welfare inspectors’ experiences and perceptions of conducting animal welfare inspections
• Strategies for creating more uniform animal welfare inspections
• Compliance with and enforcement of animal welfare legislation
• The protection system surrounding animals used for scientific purposes
• Straw provision for pigs
• Cattle cleanliness
• Welfare assessment of cows kept outdoors

Below are links to pages where some of the research projects I participate in are described in more detail.

I teach and supervise students in the field of animal welfare across various programs and courses at SLU, at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4842-5636

Research Gate - Frida Lundmark Hedman