A final assessment of open data approaches to pig welfare concludes that transparency is a transformative welfare strategy that creates accountability, drives improvement, and enables informed consumer choice.
Open data for pig welfare is a transformative strategy that changes the fundamental accountability structure of the pig industry. When welfare performance is publicly reported, independently verified, and comparable across operations, the incentives for welfare improvement are built into the market structure rather than requiring continuous advocacy to maintain. Building open data infrastructure is as important a welfare investment as any direct welfare intervention.