Outcome-based welfare assessment that measures animal state directly has become the standard for farm welfare auditing, replacing input-based inspection of facilities alone.
Outcome-based welfare assessment represents a scientific advancement over facility inspection because it measures actual animal states rather than proxy conditions. A farm with large pens but high lameness is worse than a smaller farm with low lameness. Welfare QA systems that require specific outcome thresholds — maximum lameness rates, mortality limits, minimum body condition standards — hold producers accountable for results rather than inputs.