National hen charity, The British Hen Welfare Trust, is proud to have recently gained another feather in its cap with its appointment by the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) as official Charity of the Year from October 2015. The charity will now work alongside the BVNA to raise awareness of keeping hens as backyard pets and raise funds for its Hen Advice Line.
Ian Farrar (BHWT) Sam Morgan (BVNA) and Gaynor Davies (BHWT).
The Trust is best known for re-homing commercial laying hens (485,000+ to date), but also educates the public about how they can make a real difference to hen welfare through their shopping basket, and at the same time encourages support for the British egg industry.
Jane Howorth, the Trust’s Founder, established the charity in 2005 after being moved by a Panorama documentary in 1977 illustrating the stark conditions inside battery cages.
Jane Howorth Charity Founder with Liberty the Hen.
The charity, which celebrates 10 years this year, would ultimately like to see consumers and food manufacturers buying only UK produced free range eggs, resulting in a strong British egg industry where all commercial laying hens enjoy a good quality life.
As well as creating a new trend for hen keeping, the charity considers it vital to help facilitate better veterinary diagnosis and treatment of backyard flocks. It is achieving this through working with global poultry veterinary specialists, St David’s Poultry (Chicken Vet), including increased provision of training for Vets and Veterinary Nurses.
Please visit www.bhwt.org.uk to find out more about the charities important re-homing work.