Farm Animal Welfare Metrics and Benchmarking

Standardised welfare metrics allow farms to benchmark against peers and track progress - improving measurement improves outcomes.

Key Facts

Animal-based welfare measures including body condition, lameness scoring, and behaviour observation are more valid than resource-based measures alone
AssureWel project has developed farm-validated welfare outcome measures for major species
On-farm welfare assessment data allows identification of priority areas for improvement
Benchmarking against industry peers motivates improvement in welfare performance
Integration of welfare metrics into farm management software improves adoption
Welfare outcome data linked to payment schemes drives faster industry-wide improvement

Welfare Considerations

What gets measured gets managed. Welfare metrics that capture actual animal experience rather than just facility compliance are fundamental to improving farm animal welfare at scale. Investment in validated, practical welfare assessment tools is an infrastructure investment that benefits millions of animals.

What You Can Do

Support AssureWel and similar organisations developing validated farm welfare measures
Advocate for welfare outcome data to be integrated into farm assurance certification
Support research into cost-effective technology-enabled welfare monitoring on farms
Ask retailers about the welfare metrics they collect from their supply chains
Engage with your MP about funding for farm welfare data collection infrastructure