BVA senior vice president Sean Wensley has been awarded the World Veterinary Association (WVA) Global Animal Welfare Award for Europe.

Dr Wensley said he became interested in animal welfare science as an undergraduate veterinary student, when he was awarded a Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) Vacation Scholarship to investigate the welfare of caged zebra finches housed under typical pet shop conditions.

Six years later, having been instrumental in developing BVA policy in supporting a ban on the importation of wild-caught birds into the European Union to be kept as pets, Sean represented the position in Brussels and an EU-wide ban was introduced in 2007.

As BVA president in 2015/16, Dr Wensley initiated and led the production of BVA’s Animal welfare strategy.

On receiving his award, Dr Wensley said: “It is excellent that WVA has further underpinned its commitment to animal welfare, in line with global society’s expectation of our profession as animal welfare leaders, through the establishment of the Global Animal Welfare Awards.

“It’s a great honour to be a recipient, which is tribute to my driven and forward-looking colleagues at BVA and PDSA. I thank them, as well as the many other organisations, institutions and individuals who have given me invaluable opportunities and encouragement during my career to date.”