Traditional animal welfare focused on preventing suffering. The positive welfare movement argues that truly good welfare means enabling animals to experience positive states — pleasure, play, exploration, and social connection. This shift transforms what we aim for.
Positive welfare science is changing what farmers, vets, and policymakers aim for. Rather than meeting minimum standards to avoid prosecution, the positive welfare framework asks: are these animals thriving? Do they have opportunities for play, exploration, social bonding, and pleasurable activities? Research shows that environments enriched for positive welfare also produce better production outcomes — pigs with straw bedding, perches for chickens, brushes for cattle — suggesting commercial and welfare incentives can align. The challenge is measurement: positive welfare states are harder to quantify than negative ones, requiring behavioural observation rather than simple physical inspection. Qualitative Behaviour Assessment, developed by Françoise Wemelsfelder, offers a validated tool for capturing positive welfare states through expert observation.