MP for Penrith and The Border, Dr Neil Hudson, was given the honour of chairing the World Horse Welfare Annual Conference 2022, in the presence of The Princess Royal, in recognition of his extensive veterinary, educational and political work in the field.
This year, the internationally renowned conference run by World Horse Welfare, focused on the question: “When does use become abuse?” which prompted some engaging and informing talks from expert speakers and panellists.
In his closing remarks, Dr Hudson also took the opportunity to thank the UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, and her team of officials for their frontline response to the Avian Influenza outbreak currently engulfing the UK’s kept and wild bird populations.
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, said:
“Thanks once again to World Horse Welfare for inviting me to chair this incredibly important and productive conference. It was an honour hearing from such a wealth of veterinary talent, and, of course, welcoming Anne, Princess Royal to share her own wisdom with attendees.
“It’s a real privilege to be able to use my unique platform as a Member of Parliament and a veterinary surgeon to shine a light on all the great work being done internationally on animal welfare issues.
“In the UK we have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world but there is always more we can do. As such, I’ve hosted a parliamentary event on puppy smuggling; spoken up in Parliament on issues from pet theft to avian influenza; and probed a range of pertinent issues on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.”
Hosted in person at London’s Royal Geographical Society and digitally, the event saw hundreds attend to improve their understanding of a range of animal welfare issues.
Bookending the conference with Dr Hudson was Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal who both shared an amusing anecdote about when the Princess Royal met Dr Hudson’s Labrador Juno.
