Pig welfare auditing frameworks are evolving from compliance-based minimum standard checking toward continuous improvement approaches using animal-based measures.
Pig welfare auditing has evolved significantly from simple compliance checking toward outcome-based assessment that measures welfare directly from the animal. Animal-based measures including body lesion scoring, lameness assessment and behavioural observation capture welfare states that resource-based measures miss. The most effective auditing systems provide farmers with clear feedback, benchmarking against similar farms and guidance on improvement. When auditing drives genuine improvement rather than compliance theatre, animal welfare outcomes improve measurably.