1: The importance of welfare, J K Kirkwood, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare and Human Slaughter Association, UK Part I: THE STAKEHOLDERS 2: Hen welfare: consumer perspective, P A W Parrott, Harper Adams University College, UK 3: Government views on the welfare of laying hens, D G Pritchard, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK 4: Politics of hen welfare, D Wilkins, Eurogroup for Animal Welfare, Belgium 5: Implications of the World Trade Organization on hen welfare, D Bowles, RSPCA, UK 6: The retailer-consumer relationship with particular reference to animal welfare, R Layton, rlconsulting, UK 7: Quality assurance, J Gittins, ADAS, UK 8: The producer and hen welfare, A Joret, Deans Foods Ltd, UK PART II: OVERVIEWS 9: The laying hen: systems of production, A Elson, ADAS Gleadthorpe, UK 10: Stress and the welfare of laying hens, J P Thaxton, Mississippi State University, USA PART III: WELFARE ISSUES 11: Genetic influences on resource use, fear and sociality, J-M Faure, Station de Reserches Avicoles, France, and R B Jones, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), UK 12: The genetics of feather pecking and cannibalism, J Kjaer, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Denmark, and P M Hocking, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), UK 13: Breeding for productivity and welfare, W M Muir, Pardue University, USA, and H-W Cheng, USDA-ARS, USA 14: Sensory perception : chemoreception, D E F McKeegan, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), UK 15: Vision in the laying hen, N B Prescott, J R Jarvis, and C M Wathes, Silcoe Research Institute, UK 16: Pain and the laying hen, M Gentle and S Wilson, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), UK 17: Chicken cognition, C J Nicol, University of Bristol, UK 18: Social space for laying hens, J J Cooper and M J Albentosa, University of Lincoln, UK 19: Nesting, perching and dust-bathing, L Keeling, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Sweden 20: Environmental enrichment: the need for practical strategies to improve poultry welfare, R B Jones, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), UK 21: Feather pecking and feather loss, B Rodenburg and P Koene, Wageningen University, The Netherlands 22: Cannibalism, R Newberry, Washington State University, USA 23: Skeletal disorders in laying hens: the problem of osteoporosis and bone fractures, C C Whitehead, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), UK 24: Disease control, D Shingleton, Waterman Farm, UK 25: Environmental management for laying hens, J-M Aerts, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, C M Wathes and D Berckmans, Silsoe Research Institute, UK 26: Lighting, G C Perry, University of Bristol, UK 27: Nutrition, feedstuffs and feeding, M G MacLeod, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), UK 28: Human - animal interactions, P H Hemsworth, Victorian Institute of Animal Science, Australia 29: Handling and catching of hens during depopulation, D Tinker and P S Berry, Silsoe Research Institute, UK, J A Rycroft, Unilever, UK, and N H Sparks, Avian Science Research Centre, UK 30: Transport of chicks, pullets and spent hens, M A Mitchell, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), UK, and PJ Kettlewell, Silsoe Research Institute, UK 31: Stunning and slaughter, M Raj, University of Bristol, UK PART IV: OUTCOMES 32: Overview, M C Appleby, The Humane Society of the United States, USA PART V: Posters