Welfare Science

Animal Welfare Data Open Access and Impact

Open access to animal welfare data enables better research, policy-making, and public accountability, accelerating welfare improvement.

Key Facts

Slaughterhouse data on condemnations and welfare outcomes is often proprietary
Farm assurance inspection data is rarely made publicly accessible for research
Open welfare data would enable identification of persistent problem farms and practices
Some countries are moving toward mandatory public reporting of welfare outcome data
Animal welfare science journals are increasingly adopting open access publication models

Welfare Considerations

Welfare improvement requires data - about current welfare states, trends over time, and the effects of interventions. Data that remains proprietary cannot be scrutinized, learned from, or used to hold poor performers accountable. Open data is a welfare improvement mechanism.

What You Can Do

Support open data initiatives in animal welfare research and regulation
Advocate for mandatory public reporting of slaughterhouse welfare data
Learn about open access welfare research and share findings with relevant audiences