Farm Animal Welfare

Pig Welfare and Welfare Assessment Tools

Validated welfare assessment tools including Welfare Quality and Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) enable consistent measurement and comparison of pig welfare across farms and systems.

Key Facts

Welfare Quality protocols provide standardised measures across welfare principles
Animal-based measures are more reliable than resource-based measures for welfare assessment
Regular on-farm welfare assessment identifies problems before they become severe
Training assessors in standardised protocols ensures consistent measurement
Benchmarking farms using validated tools identifies both outliers and best practice

Welfare Considerations

Validated welfare assessment tools are fundamental infrastructure for welfare improvement. Without reliable measurement, it is impossible to track progress, identify problems, or demonstrate welfare to consumers and retailers.

What You Can Do

Support organisations developing and validating pig welfare assessment tools
Advocate for validated welfare assessment to be required in certification schemes
Learn about animal-based welfare measures and why they matter
Choose products from farms verified using validated welfare assessment protocols