Welfare Science

Open Science and Animal Welfare Data Sharing

Access to welfare data is essential for monitoring progress and identifying problems. Open science approaches that make welfare data publicly available accelerate improvement.

Key Facts

Farm assurance scheme welfare data is largely proprietary in the UK and EU
Public access to slaughterhouse CCTV footage is actively resisted by industry
Open data on antibiotic use has enabled transparent progress monitoring
Academic welfare research increasingly requires data sharing as a publication condition

Welfare Considerations

Transparency in welfare data enables accountability and informed consumer choice. Supporting open data requirements for farm assurance schemes, slaughterhouse monitoring, and antibiotic use creates the evidence base for welfare improvement.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns for mandatory public reporting of farm welfare audit outcomes
Advocate for open-access publication requirements for publicly funded welfare research
Engage with food system data transparency initiatives