Devon Wilson
PhD Candidate at the University of Guelph
What got you interested in the field of animal welfare?
After working as a veterinarian in beef and sheep feedlots, I was driven to investigate methods for preventing animal welfare concerns associated with current agricultural production practices, such as transportation. Given my agricultural and veterinary background, I was interested in learning about different perspectives on animal welfare and methodologies for understanding the feelings and experiences of nonhuman animals.
How has your research/work helped to improve animal welfare?
My research has shed light on welfare issues experienced by young calves that are not needed as replacements on dairy farms and are often marketed at a young age. This work has informed the development of the section on preparing cattle for transportation in the most recent Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle. My work also resulted in a report for Animal Health Canada (formerly the National Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Council) with several recommendations related to the marketing of male calves in Canada. The research I performed with the Animal Welfare Program was informative for my PhD studies, which focuses on methods for motivating dairy farmers to provide their “surplus” calves with excellent neonatal care.
What do you hope to do moving forward?
After completing my MSc with the Animal Welfare Program, I began a PhD with the University of Guelph in veterinary epidemiology, which I hope to complete in 2023. Afterwards, I hope to continue working with farmers as a veterinarian and promote improvements in farm animal welfare.