Agricultural shows where farm animals are exhibited require welfare standards covering transport, holding conditions, judging practices and the stress of unfamiliar environments.
Agricultural show welfare encompasses both acute and systemic concerns. Acutely, animals transported to shows and kept in unfamiliar environments with noise, crowds and strange animals experience significant stress. Judging practices including prolonged restraint in uncomfortable positions cause discomfort. Cosmetic preparation involving intensive washing, grooming and product application may cause distress. Systemically, show culture that rewards extreme body types — oversized dairy cows, excessively muscled beef breeds, very large show pigs — creates incentives to breed for traits associated with health and welfare problems. Reform of show culture to include welfare assessment alongside conformation judgement would represent significant progress. Some shows have begun incorporating welfare inspection as part of judging criteria.