RSPCA and welfare charities launch Animal Welfare Evidence Centre

The RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming, Four Paws UK and Humane World for Animals UK have come together to launch the Animal Welfare Evidence Centre (AWEC), a new independent research body backed by the Katherine Martin Charitable Trust. Rather than campaigning on individual welfare issues, the centre's job is to build the underlying evidence base: what actually drives people to harm animals, where the biggest gaps in understanding lie, and what interventions genuinely change behaviour.

The centre's research strategy spans several areas relevant to dog and horse owners and breeders alike, including modelling the economic cost of animal cruelty to strengthen the case for government investment in prevention, examining links between domestic abuse and animal harm, and looking at how societal attitudes towards animals square with everyday practice. Dr Jennifer Maher, the centre's head of research, has described the initiative as a potential "game changer" for UK animal welfare, arguing that meaningful prevention work depends on properly understanding root causes rather than treating symptoms in isolation.

For breeders and owners, the significance lies less in any single finding and more in having a shared, independent evidence base that welfare organisations, regulators and policymakers can draw on when shaping future standards and legislation. Findings and reports from the centre are intended to be made publicly available, which should make it a useful reference point as breeding regulation and welfare policy continue to evolve in the UK.