The Commonwealth Veterinary Association (CVA) has an MoU with the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research, Puducherry, India and established RIVER – CVA Animal Welfare Research Center (RIVER-AWRC) at the Department of Livestock Production and Management, RIVER, Puducherry, India, on 30th January 2024 with the objective of carrying out research in animal welfare, behavior and ethics in farm animals.

In order to strengthen the technical expertise on animal welfare at the RIVER-AWRC, Dr. S. Abdul Rahman, Executive Director, CVA, sought the assistance of the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education (JMICAWE), University of Edinburgh to train the staff at the Centre. Prof. Cathy Dwyer, Director, JMICAWE, designed a 5-day training programme focused on acquiring knowledge and skills regarding the latest developments in animal welfare.

Two faculty members, Dr. A. Varun of the Department of Livestock Production and Management and Dr. M.V. Silpa, of the Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, RIVER, Puducherry, India, were sponsored by the CVA with financial assistance from the Open Philanthropy Project. The training was organized from 20th May 2024 to 24th May 2024.