It is a fundamental irony that the UK proclaims to be a nation of animal lovers, yet tolerates an unacceptable amount of animal harm either wilfully or through ignorance. Three years ago the BVA published a list of all the key animal welfare problems in the UK. It found 120, ranging from solitary living for rabbits, enforced group living in cats, and lameness in cattle and sheep. But where should legislation, research and educational effort be focused to tackle these welfare issues? With so many, how can you prioritise? This week Vet Record publishes a paper that attempts to answer that question. Funded by the Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF), a team of welfare researchers at Edinburgh university set about determining the welfare priorities for the most common farm and companion animals in the UK. They identified more than 650 welfare issues and then asked welfare …