The Five Domains model, developed by Professor David Mellor, provides a comprehensive framework for assessing and promoting animal welfare that goes beyond the traditional Five Freedoms.
The Five Domains model represents a significant advance over the Five Freedoms. While Five Freedoms defined welfare as absence of negatives, Five Domains adds positive mental states as an explicit goal. The model recognises that animals can experience both positive and negative states and that good welfare requires actively promoting positive experiences - pleasure, engagement, curiosity, comfort - not merely preventing pain, fear, and disease. This richer understanding transforms what we expect of farms, zoos, and pet owners, requiring not just the absence of cruelty but the active provision of a good life.