Officials, academics and professionals gathered for the third Chinese Veterinary Conference in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, on Sunday to discuss animal welfare and legislation.

It was the first time the conference held a forum on animal welfare, hosted by the Chinese Veterinary Medical Association, Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education and the Asian Animal Foundation.

Jia Youling, president of the Chinese Veterinary Medical Association, and Chang Zhigang, president of the association’s animal health and welfare division, joined NGO campaigners, academics and business representatives at the forum.

The forum gave an overview of animal welfare from an international perspective, the role of veterinarians and the challenges China faces.

In his keynote address, Chang said that although animal welfare in China has improved greatly in recent years, much work was still needed.

“The lack of evaluation standards is a big problem,” he said.

In an interview with People’s Daily online, Chang said a guideline for animal welfare standards has been drafted and would be published by the end of the year.