THE WELFARE FOOTPRINT INSTITUTE

is a research organization dedicated to quantifying animal welfare to inform practice, policy, investing and purchasing decisions. To this end, welfare impacts are quantified using a biologically meaningful, relatable and comparable metric, applicable across contexts, environments and species: time in affective states (negative or positive) of different intensities. The institute brings together experts from multiple disciplines, rigorous analytical processes and transparency to inform decisions in any area involving the welfare of animals..

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OUR GOALS

To support informed practices, investment, purchasing & policy decisions.

To communicate animal welfare impacts through a unified, empirically-grounded and easy to understand scale

To foster targeted research on animal health and welfare

To help integrate animal welfare, quantitatively, into economic, social and environmental analyses.

We are delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of “The Welfare Footprint of the Egg: A Comprehensive Analysis of Animal Welfare Impacts of Egg Production” by Taylor & Francis (CRC Press). This pioneering book will present the first quantitative welfare footprint of an animal-sourced food product, quantifying welfare impacts throughout the egg production chain, including welfare experiences of chicks, breeders and laying hens throughout their lives, in cage and cage-free systems. By integrating expertise from leading researchers worldwide, the book will serve as a crucial reference for scientists, policymakers, producers, advocates and consumers.

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The Welfare Footprint of…

We have launched an ambitious initiative to quantify the welfare impact of animal-sourced foods, starting with a comprehensive analysis of egg production. This project will establish the foundations for welfare footprinting, with analyses of other animal systems to follow.

The Impact of Welfare Reforms in the Poultry Industry

In two major research initiatives, we quantified the welfare impact of widely-discussed poultry industry reforms: the transition to cage-free systems for laying hens and the Better Chicken Commitment standards for broilers, addressing key welfare challenges in both sectors.

The Pain Atlas Project

The Pain Atlas Project is an ambitious global initiative to systematically map and quantify pain across human and animal species, using advanced AI technology to create the first comprehensive catalog of pain in living beings.

Advancing the Science of Animal Welfare

In developing the foundations of welfare footprinting, our research is constantly addressing critical knowledge gaps, such as the interaction between simultaneous affective states, how attention and distraction influence pain perception, among many others.