We are pleased to announce that food journalist and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Food Programme’, Sheila Dillon is to host our Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards this year, which will take place in Paris on Wednesday 30 October at the Salle Wagram.

Sheila says: “Over three decades as a food journalist I’ve come to value and admire Compassion. Their research stands up to tough analysis. They work on behalf of animals in the farming system, but their emotions and beliefs about the importance of those animals are never allowed to skew the argument. So, I was delighted to be asked to host the Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards and look forward to rewarding companies both from the UK and the rest of Europe who have made genuine headway incorporating good farm animal welfare policies into their businesses.”

Dr Tracey Jones, Director of Food Business at Compassion adds: “We are extremely pleased that Sheila has agreed to host our awards. She is a hugely respected and well known figure in the world of food journalism and I hope that her involvement will help to raise the profile of our Awards and of higher welfare food options to a wider consumer audience. Many of the changes we want to see being made for farm animal welfare can be driven by consumer demand and are dependent on the policies and commitments of the largest food manufacturers, food service businesses and retail chains. These companies make, serve and sell the vast majority of the food we consume and they have it in their power to make a real difference to the lives of the millions of farm animals reared for food each year.”

The Awards are in their sixth year and in 2013 they promise to be bigger and better with one ceremony taking place in Paris to celebrate the achievements of the entire European market including UK winners. By holding one combined awards event rather than the usual two – one in London and one in Paris – we hope to continue to drive farm animal welfare up the agenda across Europe.

Winning an award can yield significant business benefits – from improving supply chain compliance to enhancing consumer perception and increasing brand loyalty. To date over 311 million farm animals are set to benefit each year as a result of our award winners policies’ and we look forward to increasing this impact number in 2013.

Sheila Dillon to host Compassion Awards