Pig Positive Welfare Indicators: Beyond Absence of Suffering

Overview of positive welfare indicators for pigs and their application in farm welfare assessment.

Key Facts

Positive welfare science focuses on presence of good states, not just absence of bad states
Play behaviour is a validated positive welfare indicator in pigs
Exploration, anticipatory behaviour, and social affiliation indicate positive states
Grimace scale and body language assessment tools identify both positive and negative states
Commercial pig farming can demonstrate positive welfare with appropriate management

Welfare Considerations

Positive pig welfare science has advanced significantly, providing tools to assess not just the absence of suffering but the presence of good welfare states. Play behaviour, exploration, and social affiliation are positive welfare indicators observable on commercial farms. Integrating positive welfare assessment into farm welfare schemes shifts the aspiration from minimal harm to genuinely good welfare. This conceptual and practical advance is driving more ambitious welfare standards.

What You Can Do

Support welfare organisations that incorporate positive welfare indicators into assessment
Advocate for positive welfare indicators in farm assurance scheme standards
Follow Cambridge Welfare Assessment Protocol and similar positive welfare frameworks