Positive welfare assessment goes beyond absence of suffering to measure positive experiences that pigs express when conditions are good.
Traditional welfare assessment focused on preventing negative states - injury, disease, and behavioral problems. Positive welfare science recognizes that absence of suffering is insufficient - animals in barren environments may avoid acute suffering while experiencing chronic emptiness. Pigs have the capacity for positive emotional states including joy, curiosity, and contentment that welfare-good environments provide. Positive welfare indicators provide a more complete welfare assessment than negative indicator absence alone.