Prof Andrew Knight - Animal Welfare, Livestock Farming and Vegan Pet Diets

Prof Andrew Knight - Animal Welfare, Livestock Farming and Vegan Pet Diets

Author: maryvy September 1, 2025 Duration: 46:48
Professor Andrew KnightBVMS BSc PhD PFHEA DipECAWBM DipACAW MANZCVS FRCVS Welcome to the next episode of the Animal Welfare Conversation. And this week we caught up with Prof Andrew Knight, animal welfare advocate, researcher and campaigner. In this episode we about Andrew’s journey of campaigning for animal welfare. We hear about the impact of livestock farming on climate change, the future of vegan diets and how this relates to animal welfare. We also consider how the veterinary profession can play a pivotal role in advocating for systemic change beyond the clinic. Andrew established and directed the Centre for Animal Welfare at the University of Winchester; is a Principal Fellow of Advance HE; EBVS European and RCVS Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law; American & New Zealand Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare and a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.   In 2019 Andrew was awarded  the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics Shomer Award and also received the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association Humane Achievement Award Andrew has published a wide range of academic papers and books on animal welfare including The Costs and Benefits of Animal Experiments and co-edited the Routledge Handbook of Animal Welfare.   Further Information Sites https://www.andrewknight.info https://sustainablepetfood.info https://humanelearning.info https://animalexperiments.info   socials https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-knight-409b7434/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046421604769 https://www.youtube.com/c/andrewknight   Key infographics Knight A (2023) The relative benefits for environmental sustainability of vegan diets for dogs, cats and people. PLoS ONE 18(10): e0291791. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291791  Knight A, Bauer A, Brown H (2023) Vegan versus meat-based cat food: Guardian-reported health outcomes in 1,369 cats, after controlling for feline demographic factors. PLoS ONE 18(9): e0284132. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284132  Vegan dog health   Other Information: http://aknight.info/articles/pet-food    And finally......... Please follow us on social media, and if you haven’t yet nominated you Animal Welfare Hero, please take time to nominate them. Find out more here. Alex Fraser Medal for Animal Welfare | Girling & Fraser Ltd  Closing date is 30th September.

What does it truly mean to care for an animal, whether it's a beloved pet at home or a species on the brink in the wild? Animal Welfare Conversations digs into that question through candid, often surprising discussions with the people on the front lines. Hosted by maryvy, each episode brings you directly into dialogue with veterinary surgeons and nurses making critical medical decisions, conservationists designing field interventions, and animal owners navigating daily ethical choices. The scope is deliberately broad, covering pets, domestic animals, farm residents, zoo inhabitants, and wildlife, because the principles of compassionate care connect them all. You'll hear concrete stories about decision-making and the realities of providing a good life, not just abstract theory. This is a podcast built on curiosity and a willingness to re-examine what we think we know, challenging assumptions about standard practices and long-held beliefs in the pursuit of tangible improvement. It’s for anyone-families, science enthusiasts, or nature lovers-who believes animal welfare is a complex, evolving conversation worth having. Tune in for perspectives that are both deeply personal and rigorously practical, reminding us of our shared responsibility toward the creatures in our care.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 41

Animal Welfare Conversations
Podcast Episodes
Dr Dan O'Neill - What makes a good life - part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:38
What makes a good life? Part 2 In this episode of the Animal Welfare Conversation, we continue the conversation with Dr Dan O’Neill of the RVC. Dan is well known in the veterinary profession for his work with VetCompass…
Dr Dan O'Neill - What makes a good life? Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:36
What makes a good life? Part 1 In this episode of the Animal Welfare Conversation, we meet Dr Dan O’Neill of the RVC. Dan is well known in the veterinary profession for his work with VetCompass and animal welfare. Dan is…
Education and Animal Welfare with Dr Toby Trimble [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:41
Welcome back! In this episode we catch up with Dr Toby Trimble, the founder of Trimble Group, a film production company, reinventing education for animal health. Listeners to the podcast will know that education features…
2025 - Looking Forward [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:35
After a slightly longer break than we had anticipated, I'm really happy to let everyone know that we're back! With so much happening in the world of animal welfare it's difficult to know where to start, but we're going t…
2024 - Reviewing the Animal Welfare Conversation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:51
It’s the end of the year, so we took the chance to review the podcast. I still can’t believe that we’ve being doing this for a year now and had the chance to talk to so many people, about the great work they’re doing in…
Prof Simon Girling - Reintroducing native species [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:32
Welcome to the next episode of The Animal Welfare Conversation. This week we are joined by Prof Simon Girling. Simon has worked with zoological collections for the past 15 years, and has been involved with many different…
Mike Flynn MBE - A career in animal welfare [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:53
In this episode we were lucky enough to catch up, earlier this year, with Mike Flynn MBE, Chief Superintendent of the Scottish SPCA, and we caught up just before he retired, to find out more about his 37-year career prot…
Dr Paula Boyden - The Links Group and Freedom Project [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:32
Trigger warning This is part 2 of an episode that we recorded with Dr Paula Boyden, Veterinary Director at Dogs Trust. This extra episode focusses on domestic abuse, and how the work of the Dogs Trust and The Links Group…
Episode 20 - Dr Paula Boyden - Dogs Trust [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:22
In this episode we catch up with Dr Paula Boyden, Veterinary Director at Dogs Trust, to find out more about their work. Dogs Trust is the largest dog welfare organisation in the UK, rehoming 14,000 dogs a year and many o…