Welfare Footprint Project - a blueprint for quantifying animal pain

Abstract

The Welfare Footprint Project is a multi-disciplinary research undertaking aimed at measuring the ethical footprint of animal-source products and services, primarily by quantifying the cumulative negative affective experiences of animals involved. The project utilizes a unique metric referred to as “time in pain”, which considers both physical and psychological aspects. Drs. Cynthia Schuck-Paim and Wladimir J. Alonso from the Center for Welfare Metrics are leading the project, which has received funding from Open Phil for work conducted from 2018 to 2020. One notable finding from the research so far is the superiority of cage-free conditions over conventional cages for egg-laying hens in terms of reduced time in pain. Further findings discuss various factors impacting animal welfare in different housing conditions. The team is currently seeking additional collaboration for consulting work on the assessment of pain in broiler chickens, salmon welfare, and other topics. – AI-generated abstract.