Dr TRACEY JONES has been appointed Director of Food Business at Compassion in World Farming to help the charity reach its target of positively impacting the lives of one billion farm animals by 2017, replacing Steve McIvor who has gone to the World Society for the Protection on Animals.
Tracey, who has been working in the Food Business team at Compassion for the last two and a half years, said: “The Food Business programme is one of the most exciting initiatives I have experienced in the field of farm animal welfare for a long time. Positively engaging and influencing some of the largest food companies to raise baseline standards for animal welfare throughout their supply chains, is one of the most impactful and rewarding ways of affecting tangible change to the lives of millions of farm animals.”
Tracey, who originates from Wales, joined Compassion’s Food Business team following 18 years conducting farm animal welfare and behaviour research with Cambac Research and latterly at Oxford University. Much of her work was done in collaboration with industry and NGOs, predominantly funded by Defra and included research into tail biting in pigs, free farrowing systems for sows, long distance transport of pigs, stocking density for broiler chickens, selection for welfare traits in broilers, space allowance for sheep in transit and bathing water provision for ducks; her PhD was studying improved handling systems for pigs at slaughter. Tracey also has practical experience of indoor and outdoor pig farming in the UK and overseas, as well as poultry husbandry.