Veterinary Policy
Veterinary associations play an important role in shaping farmed‑animal welfare and public policy through clinical guidance, professional standards and advice to decision-makers. This research priority examines the positions of national and international veterinary associations across issues affecting animals, people and the planet. Understanding these positions is essential for assessing how veterinary expertise informs public and policy decisions on animal welfare.
Supported by funding from the LSE Global School of Sustainability and Coefficient Giving, our work in this area is conducted by Research Fellow Dr Steven McCulloch. Current research provides a detailed analysis of association positions, using farmed pigs as a case study to explore how veterinary professional duties and commitments to animal welfare are upheld in practice.
Further Information
Principal Investigator: Professor Jonathan Birch
Research Fellow: Dr Steven McCulloch
- Vet Record article: "The AVMA must withdraw support for overturning Proposition 12".
- LSE Festival Poster: "Veterinary Power".
- LSE Future Proof Video: "The hidden truth behind pig farming and meat production?".
- LSE United States Politics and Policy Blog: "Who speaks for pigs? The Farm Bill, Proposition 12 and capture of the US veterinary profession".
- LSE British Politics Blog: "A call for scrutiny of the veterinary profession".
- Keynote at The 4th International Online Conference on Animals (IOCAN) 2026: "Captured or Independent? Veterinary Institutions, Animal Welfare Science, and the Politics of Farmed Animal Welfare and Meat Reduction".
- Vet Record article: "Vets must support meat reduction for the benefit of people, the planet and animals".
Pigs Protection, chaired by Dr Steven McCulloch