UBC Professor Marina von Keyserlingk Awarded Order of Canada

Marina von Keyserlingk, a professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a recognized global leader in animal welfare science, was awarded the Order of Canada in 2025. Her pioneering research has been instrumental in transforming how farm animals are perceived and managed, guiding meaningful changes in animal agriculture across the globe. Von Keyserlingk's career path was significantly influenced by her upbringing on her family's cattle ranch in the Okanagan. She noted that practices like castrating bull calves without pain mitigation, common during her youth, are now unacceptable to her, highlighting the evolution of her perspective and practices. She has also explored challenging research areas, such as understanding the emotional state of animals, including investigating whether dairy cattle experience postpartum depression. Von Keyserlingk acknowledges that agriculture is traditional and change can be slow, but points to progress, such as the Canadian dairy industry's 2008 Code of Practice that deemed tail docking unacceptable and required pain mitigation for disbudding calves. She also observed a significant increase in the amount of milk fed to dairy calves, with 86% of B.C. dairy farmers now reporting feeding over 8 liters per day, a substantial increase from the insufficient 4 liters common two decades ago. Von Keyserlingk emphasizes the importance of collaboration and respectful dialogue to drive change within the agricultural community, recognizing that farmers care deeply about their animals and that supporting them through challenges is crucial for successful implementation of new practices.