Welfare assessment is increasingly incorporating positive indicators beyond the absence of suffering, measuring cattle engagement, play behaviour, and affective states.
Positive welfare science recognises that good welfare is more than the absence of suffering — it includes the experience of positive states such as curiosity, contentment, and play. Cattle play behaviour indicates positive affective states and is suppressed by chronic stress. Ear posture studies show that relaxed, forward-facing ears indicate positive states while back-pinned or asymmetric ear positions indicate negative states. Including these positive indicators in welfare audits provides a more complete picture than disease and injury metrics alone.