Introduction
The Collaborative Working Group on European Animal Health & Welfare Research (CWG) was formed in response to an initiative of the EU Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR). The Collaborative Working Group first met in Brussels in December 2005 and currently involves almost thirty funding organisations in over twenty countries.
Goal
Our goal is to establish a durable and focused network of research funders from Member and Associated States of the EU – providing a forum leading to improved collaboration on research prioritisation and procurement, creating the necessary critical mass and focus to deliver the animal health and welfare research needs of our policy makers and the European livestock industry.
Scope
The CWG is concerned with research and innovation relating to the health, wellbeing and welfare of farmed production animals including fish and bees. Specifically, it includes welfare, infectious and non-infectious diseases including those conditions which pose a threat to human health, food safety issues relating to livestock products, and diseases of wildlife where they act as reservoirs of infection for humans or production animals.
CWG Objectives
– Share information on research projects
– Coordinate research activities
– Work towards a common research agenda
– Work towards mutual research funding activities, in the field of animal health, fish health and those conditions which pose a threat to human health
Other activities include mapping the landscape in relation to provisions of research facilities, including expertise and micro organism collection.
CWG projects
The activities of the CWG were accelerated and built upon through the European Commission funded projects EMIDA (Coordination of European Research on Emerging and Major Infectious Diseases of Livestock, 2008 – 2011), ANIHWA (Animal health and welfare – ERA-NET, 2012 – 2015), STAR-IDAZ (Global Strategic Alliances for the Coordination of Research on the Major Infectious Diseases of Animals and Zoonoses, 2011 – 2015) and ICRAD (International Coordination of Research on Infectious Animal Diseases, 2019 – 2024).
Our Team
Chair: Hein Imberechts (BE) (hein.imberechts@sciensano.be)
Deputy Chair: Luokia Ekaterinadou (GR) (ekateriniadou@vri.gr)
Deputy Chair: Scott Sellers (UK) (scott.sellers@defra.gsi.gov.uk)
