Michaelmas Term Conference

2025 is a particularly special year for the Schweitzer Institute, as it marks the 150th anniversary of Albert Schweitzer’s birth.

We will once again be partnering with The Centre for Animals & Social Justice (CASJ) for our 2025 conference at Cambridge. The event, entitled 'Promoting Responsible Governance of Animal Protection: Policy Reform for an Ethical Future’, will bring together leading academics, legal experts, policy-makers, and advocates to explore how animal protection can be advanced through more responsible, transparent, and democratic governance. 

Despite widespread public support for better animal welfare, significant gaps remain between public opinion, policy, and practice. The UK’s current system is marked by fragmented and inconsistent oversight, with advisory bodies such as the Animal Welfare Committee and Animal Sentience Committee lacking the legislative authority to drive meaningful change. As a result, the interests of nonhuman animals are often marginalised in government decision-making, and public concern is not effectively translated into policy outcomes.

Building on last year’s discussions of ecocentric ethics and the proposal for a Government Animal Protection Commission (APC), this year’s conference will examine the structural, political, and legal reforms needed to embed animal protection as a core objective of public governance. Key themes will include the democratic deficit in animal welfare policy-making, the potential for deliberative and participatory democratic processes to give animals a stronger voice, and the importance of openness and transparency in the implementation and enforcement of animal protection legislation.

Videos of last year's conference, 'Ecocentric Ethics: Exploring Our Responsibilities to Non-Human Animals and the Environment’, can be accessed via the 'Archive' page.