Evaluating whether welfare training programmes achieve lasting behaviour change among farmers requires rigorous before-and-after assessment that is rarely performed but essential for improvement.
The effectiveness of welfare training programmes is frequently assumed rather than demonstrated. Training that improves knowledge without changing practice provides no welfare benefit to animals. Rigorous evaluation requires assessing not only what farmers know after training but what they do differently on farm, and what welfare outcome changes result. Studies that have examined training impact rigorously find that knowledge gains are common but practice change is less consistent, and that welfare outcome improvements require sustained reinforcement. Designing and evaluating training programmes with the same rigour applied to veterinary or agronomic interventions would improve both the quality of training and the welfare returns from training investment.