Welfare Science

Animal Welfare Indicators and Five Freedoms

The Five Freedoms framework has guided animal welfare assessment for decades, with ongoing evolution towards more positive welfare frameworks that go beyond absence of suffering.

Key Facts

Five Freedoms (1979): freedom from hunger, discomfort, pain, fear, and to express normal behaviour
Five Domains model expands on Five Freedoms to include mental state assessment
Positive welfare indicators including play and positive engagement are increasingly measured
Stockperson training in welfare assessment improves on-farm welfare outcomes
Welfare assessment moving from input-based (what is provided) to outcome-based (animal experience)

Welfare Considerations

Welfare frameworks have evolved from the Five Freedoms towards more positive welfare conceptions that include affective states. This evolution reflects growing understanding that good welfare means more than absence of suffering. Positive welfare science is transforming both assessment and provision.

What You Can Do

Learn about welfare assessment frameworks to understand how welfare is evaluated
Support positive welfare science research that goes beyond absence of suffering
Advocate for positive welfare indicators in certification and regulatory frameworks