The inaugural sprint held in collaboration with IPC will take place on Monday, January 26, 2026, from 2:00–4:00 PM in Georgia Ballroom 1, immediately following the IPC meeting.
WelfareLab builds on insights from IPWA’s 2024 Icebreaker Series, which convened producers, researchers, NGOs, and policymakers across multiple regions. Poultry welfare is dynamic, grounded in science, shaped by regulation, and realized in day-to-day practice. When these elements are misaligned, when science lags, when policy oversimplifies, or when regulations fail to consider real-world impacts, well-intended decisions can inadvertently compromise animal welfare and undermine long-term goals, including economic vitality, food security, and the sustainability of global production systems. WelfareLab2050 exists to address those gaps. It brings stakeholders together to surface emerging issues, identify critical knowledge gaps, and align priorities, providing clear guidance for those shaping and implementing poultry welfare science, policy, and practice for the future. The outputs from these sessions will be synthesized into a practical roadmap clarifying where IPWA, in collaboration with its partners, can most effectively contribute between now and 2050.
About the First WelfareLab Sprint Session
The IPPE Sprint — “Bridging Science, Policy, and Practice” — will serve as the launchpad for the 2026–2027 WelfareLab sprint cycle.
During the 90-minute interactive session, participants will be invited to respond to the guiding question: “How can IPWA collaborate with IPC members to shape science-based poultry welfare policy?”
“This is a focused working session designed to exchange perspectives,” said Richard Griffiths, President of the International Poultry Council. “IPC members bring experience from across global poultry supply chains, and participation in discussions like this helps ensure industry realities are understood.”
A Global, Multi-Stage Initiative Led by IPWA
The broader WelfareLab 2050 vision is to strengthen integration between:
• Advancing welfare science
• Evolving global policy expectations
• Practical implementation in real-world production systems
“WelfareLab takes the key themes raised through our Icebreaker Series and moves them into structured, solutions-oriented action,” says IPWA Chair Dr. Katy Tarrant. “Each sprint focuses on a priority challenge and produces outputs that members and partners can apply in practice.”
Future sprints throughout 2026–2027 will be led by IPWA and hosted at major global convenings. Each sprint will focus on a defined challenge — such as outcome-based indicators, auditing harmonization, transport, training alignment, or policy language interpretation — and will produce tools, prototypes, or guidance intended to inform global discussions and practices.
The IPWA–IPC collaborative IPPE sprint represents the first milestone in this multi-stage process.
About IPWA
The International Poultry Welfare Alliance is the catalyst for continuous improvement in global poultry welfare that is socially, environmentally, and economically viable. We continuously advance poultry welfare by fostering open dialogue, sharing best practices, and supporting science-based research via a global, multi-stakeholder alliance. Our work includes fostering open communication and supporting credible research and innovation through science, collaboration, and scalable solutions. Learn more at poultrywelfare.org.
About IPC
The International Poultry Council represents the global poultry value chain. IPC advances science-based dialogue on food security, sustainability, animal health and welfare, and responsible trade. Through its members, IPC brings global industry perspectives into international policy discussions. Learn more at internationalpoultrycouncil.org.
Source: IPWA and IPC press release
