FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2025
Dr. Karen Schwean-Lardner honoured with Animal Health Canada’s Farm Animal Welfare Leadership Award
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Animal Health Canada is proud to announce Dr. Karen Schwean-Lardner, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan, as the recipient of its Farm Animal Welfare Leadership Award.
Dr. Schwean-Lardner is a globally respected scientist and educator with her research transforming poultry welfare in Canada and worldwide.
“Dr. Schwean-Lardner has clearly become a leader in the area of poultry welfare,” says Dr. Frank E. Robinson, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta. “Her groundbreaking work on management in meat-type birds has improved the welfare of an estimated 30 billion broilers annually.”
Beyond her research, Dr. Schwean-Lardner has advised leading food companies, contributed to multiple Codes of Practice for the care and handling of farm animals, served as President of the Poultry Science Association and shared her expertise through more than 80 peer-reviewed papers and 100 industry presentations.
She also has taken the time to mentor numerous graduate students and undergraduates, inspiring the next generation of animal welfare leaders. Her teaching excellence has been celebrated with multiple awards, including the 2025 North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Educator Award.
“Dr. Karen Schwean-Lardner embodies the spirit of the Farm Animal Welfare Leadership Award,” says Dr. Natacha Hogan, Professor & Undergrad Program Chair, Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan. “Her work has improved the lives of billions of animals, informed national policy, empowered producers, and inspired the next generation of animal welfare leaders.”
Dr. Schwean-Lardner was presented the Farm Animal Welfare Leadership Award during a ceremony at Animal Health Canada’s annual Forum in Ottawa, which gathers stakeholders in Canada’s animal health and welfare system to share actions and initiatives in relation to animal health and welfare.
Recipients of the Farm Animal Welfare Leadership Award promote high standards in farmed animal care and work collaboratively to build trust both within Canadian animal agriculture and beyond.
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Animal Health Canada is the only national organization that brings together industry, federal, provincial, and territorial partners to provide collaborative guidance on a cohesive, functional, and responsive farmed animal health and welfare system in Canada. For more information, visit https://animalhealthcanada.ca.
For further information:
Tanya Frye
Communications Director
Animal Health Canada
(613) 302-2671
tfrye@animalhealthcanada.ca