Welfare Science

Farmed Pig Welfare Measurement Innovation

Innovations in measuring pig welfare more accurately, comprehensively, and efficiently on commercial farms.

Key Facts

Automated image analysis can score tail damage across entire pig groups in real time
Accelerometers distinguish between active exploration and passive lying with welfare implications
Novel biomarkers including hair cortisol provide longer-term stress history than blood measures
App-based welfare scoring tools are enabling faster, standardized on-farm welfare assessment
Machine learning models are being trained to predict welfare outcomes from production data

Welfare Considerations

Better welfare measurement is a prerequisite for welfare improvement. Innovations that make welfare assessment faster, cheaper, and more accurate enable more frequent monitoring and earlier intervention. The pipeline of welfare measurement technology is transformative for the field.

What You Can Do

Support research into validated automated welfare measurement tools
Advocate for welfare measurement innovation to be included in research funding priorities
Engage with demonstrations of welfare technology to understand its potential and limitations