Funds have been allocated to TAWS by other based charities and the RCVS Trust Fund.  As may be appreciated in Table No.1.

The specialist knowledge of TAWS veterinary surgeons has also helped to promote more efficient means to achieve technology transfer from experts from UK based charities to beneficiaries of their projects. TAWS participated in the Brooke Hospital and University of Bristol study, which aims to formulate a practical and credible welfare protocol. This would be very useful when applied before, during and after a project to monitor the impact of interventions on working equine’s health and welfare. Within this framework it is clear that greater attention must be given to project planning and evaluation. TAWS participated in the Brooke Hospital and University of Bristol study. This aims to formulate a practical and credible welfare assessment protocol for monitoring the impact of interventions on working equine’s health and welfare.

It was with considerable regret that the Board of TAWS decided in May 2003 to reduce active participation in the project. This decision was partially based upon the increasing difficulty of funding as well as the shortage of young graduates able to participate in the activities of the charity.

An evaluation of the results of the El Salvador project (Veterinary Component) between 1998 and 2003 is available on the TAWS Website http:www.taws.org.  This document describes the success in improving the knowledge of Salvadoran Veterinary Surgeons in equine management, medicine and surgery.

All other activities including the annual newsletter are published on our website.

Mr & Mrs Mike Stamp have very kindly continued to support the BVA/TAWS Overseas Travel Grants  (click here for further information) and we are similarly grateful to Frank O’Neill who provided funds for a Cambridge undergraduate to visit Indonesia.

Annual Seminar
A successful workshop was held on the 24^th April 2003 at the Silsoe Research Institute, UK. The topic “The challenge of improving transport animal welfare in the world: ways forward” attracted 40 delegates and stimulated some lively discussion.  The proceeding will be found on our website http://www.taws.org and they will be published in hard copy.  It is clear that much work is required to promulgate effective welfare legislation in the developing nations and to design new methodologies for sustainable animal welfare interventions. It was most disappointing to hear that in 2003 there are few permanent veterinary posts in developing nations for UK veterinary graduates. Visits of TAWS experts to developing nations where the charity has projects clearly underlines the continuing

i)    reduction of budgets to operate efficiently official veterinary resources.  

ii)   failure to train veterinary specialists in those countries.

With these restraints official veterinary personnel in the developing nations can have little idea of livestock disease in their countries.  Hopefully the International Technical Assistance Agencies will identify means to improve this situation and hence reduce the risk of transmission of disease.  

Other comments

 Future Activities

Abbreviations  
TAWS      World Association for Transport Animal Welfare and Studies, Hardwick Court Farm, Chertsey
ILPH         International League for the Protection of Horses, Snetterton, Norfolk
IMAG        Ministerio de Agricultua and Ganaderia, El Salvador
SPANA    Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad, London
BVA        British Veterinary Association, London
RCVS       Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons