Improving the ability of veterinarians, farmers, and animal owners to recognise pain in animals is one of the most impactful and underinvested areas of animal welfare improvement.
Animals cannot verbalise their pain, making recognition dependent on behavioural and physiological cues that require training to interpret. Farmers and vets who can accurately recognise pain are more likely to intervene promptly. Pain recognition tools like grimace scales make assessment more objective and reliable. Integrating pain recognition training into veterinary education, farm assurance training, and pet owner guidance would have widespread benefits across species and sectors.