#WhoseOpinionMatters was the programme of World Horse Welfare Conference with 150 participants on site and 400 listening online. Roly Owers, Executive Director of World Horse Welfare introduced brilliantly the conference by listing the different ways to get messages across on animal welfare and the difficulties for the public to know who to listen in a world where scientific evidences compete with uninformed opinions and social networks’ angers.
Who are the experts? When does opinion overrule facts? Is experience sufficient? He concluded by saying that we should reply to negative opinions by more facts and evidence, without being afraid of the “big bad wolf” if the foundation of our opinion is made in bricks. Speakers agreed to listen to all critics and wrong opinions without jumping on attacks and translate scientific information into simple words to educate as much as possible. It is also essential to be careful of how the message is delivered.