Systematic pain assessment on farms enables early identification and treatment of suffering animals. Validated pain scoring tools for cattle, pigs, and sheep are increasingly available but unevenly adopted.
The gap between existing pain in livestock and treated pain reflects inadequate assessment rather than lack of treatment options. Stockpeople who cannot reliably detect pain cannot intervene appropriately. Validated pain scoring tools exist for cattle, pigs, sheep, and horses that enable consistent, evidence-based assessment. Farms that implement regular pain scoring and stockperson training consistently identify and treat more animals compared to farms relying on informal observation. Welfare outcome monitoring using pain scores is increasingly required by premium certification programs.