Technology is transforming animal welfare monitoring. Sensors, artificial intelligence, and precision livestock farming tools are creating new possibilities for detecting and preventing animal suffering.
Welfare monitoring technology offers genuine improvements in detecting animal suffering earlier and more reliably than human observation alone. Lameness detection algorithms that analyse gait from video footage outperform trained human observers in identifying subtle early-stage lameness. Facial action unit analysis adapted from human pain assessment has been validated for horses (Horse Grimace Scale) and is being developed for other species. The limitation is that technology can detect welfare problems but cannot solve them — and technology investment can substitute for structural changes needed to prevent welfare problems in the first place. The most promising welfare technology pairs early detection with management systems that can act on the information rapidly.