Farm Animals

Pig Positive Welfare Indicators and Assessment

Developing and validating positive welfare indicators for pigs beyond absence of disease and injury.

Key Facts

Positive welfare requires animals to have good experiences, not just absence of negative ones
Play behaviour is a validated positive welfare indicator in young pigs
Ear posture and tail posture reflect emotional state in pigs
Qualitative Behaviour Assessment measures positive and negative affect through body language
Positive welfare indicators are increasingly incorporated into pig welfare standards

Welfare Considerations

Assessing only negative indicators misses important dimensions of pig welfare, and incorporating positive welfare measures provides a more complete picture.

What You Can Do

Support research into positive welfare indicators for farm animals
Advocate for positive welfare assessment requirements in pig standards
Choose pork from farms committed to positive welfare assessment