Moving beyond measuring the absence of suffering to measuring positive experiences represents a paradigm shift in farm animal welfare assessment.
The traditional animal welfare framework focused primarily on avoiding the Five Freedoms violations - freedom from hunger, discomfort, pain, fear, and distress. While this remains important, it addresses only the floor of welfare. Animals that are not suffering may still have lives that are impoverished and lacking positive experience. The Five Domains model and concept of 'a life worth living' recognizes that genuine welfare includes positive affective states - pleasure, satisfaction, play, and social engagement. Farms that meet minimum welfare standards while denying animals any positive experiences fall short of what the science now tells us animals need for good lives.