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'Lion's Share' initiative comes under criticism
The fund asks advertisers to contribute a percentage of their media spend for every advert that features an animal.
Campaigners say well-meaning project could increase animal suffering

Animal Defenders International (ADI) is calling on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to reconsider its “well-meaning but ill-conceived” ‘The Lion’s Share’ fund.

Launched in June, the fund asks advertisers to contribute a percentage of their media spend for every advert that features an animal. The funds will be used to support animals and their habitats around the world.

But in a statement on its website, ADI said that the fund could give rise to the use and suffering of wild animals in advertising and that it could hinder conservation efforts:

'With extensive expertise studying the use of animals in the entertainment industry, ADI has shown that the real training, including discipline or abuse of captive animals used for entertainment, tends to occur offset and away from public view,' it said. 'This makes it almost impossible for advertisers to ensure that a performing animal has not suffered during a lifetime of training.

‘With The Lion’s Share encouraging companies to use animals to help threatened species, this is likely to lead to an increase in the suffering of their captive counterparts. Founding member of the initiative Mars has already stated that “We’re not going to be limiting our number of animals; we’re actually going to be increasing".'

ADI is now urging the UNDP, production company FINCH and Mars to turn The Lion’s Share on its head and seek commitments from advertisers who pledge not to use animals.

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FIVP announces third series of Practice Matters

News Story 1
 The Federation of Independent Veterinary practices (FIVP) has announced a third season of its podcast, Practice Matters.

Hosted by Ian Wolstenholme, series three will focus on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation, including a discussion about some of the expected impacts on independent veterinary colleagues.

Episode one launches on 13th January with guests Drs David Reader and Scott Summers, who will draw on their research into the CMA investigation and provide insights into themes such as transparency, pricing and consumer trust.

Ian Wolstenholme said: "In its third series, we will try and hone in on what the changes will mean in reality for independent practices with advice and guidance on implementation and delivery, drawing on the experience of our own team and other experts in the profession. Hope you can join us soon!" 

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News Shorts
Survey seeks ruminant sector views on antimicrobial stewardship

A new survey is seeking views of people working in the UK ruminant sector on how to tackle the challenge of demonstrating responsible antibiotic stewardship.

Forming part of a wider, collaborative initiative, the results will help identify the types of data available so that challenges with data collection can be better understood and addressed.

Anyone working in the UK farming sector, including vets and farmers,is encouraged to complete the survey, which is available at app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk