Welfare impact assessment frameworks enable systematic evaluation of the welfare consequences of proposed policies, practices, and product changes before implementation.
Welfare impact assessment is a prevention-oriented welfare tool: rather than responding to welfare problems after they occur, assessment frameworks identify welfare risks before they materialise. Applied to proposed agricultural policy changes, new product introductions, or management system modifications, welfare impact assessment can prevent large-scale welfare harms before they affect millions of animals. The methodology shares features with environmental impact assessment — considering probability, severity, duration, and affected population size — but adds the welfare science of sentience, affective state, and behavioural need to the assessment framework. Institutionalising welfare impact assessment in policy processes represents a significant governance improvement.