Farm Animals

Farmed Animal Positive Welfare Science

Positive welfare science identifies what makes animal lives worth living beyond absence of suffering. This emerging field is transforming how farm animal welfare is assessed and improved.

Key Facts

Play behavior, exploration, social bonding, and successful foraging are positive welfare indicators across species
The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness provides scientific backing for the importance of positive animal experiences
Affective valence can be assessed in farm animals through judgment bias and cognitive bias paradigms
Farms scoring highly on positive welfare measures achieve better productivity outcomes in many studies

Welfare Considerations

Positive welfare science completes the welfare picture by asking what makes animal lives good, not just what makes them less bad. Animals capable of positive experiences deserve opportunities to have them. Evidence that positive welfare correlates with better productivity in farm settings removes the false choice between welfare and efficiency. Recognizing and measuring positive welfare states is transforming what good farm animal welfare looks like in practice.

What You Can Do

Support research into positive welfare indicators for farm animals across all major species
Advocate for positive welfare measures to be included in farm welfare assessment frameworks
Choose animal products from farms demonstrating positive welfare outcomes not just absence of suffering
Learn about the science of positive animal welfare to be a more effective advocate for genuinely good animal lives