Borrowing the knowns and unknowns framework to reveal blind spots in animal welfare science
Welfare Footprint Institute. (2025)
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Abstract
Welfare science risks staying in a "comfortable zone," focusing on what is convenient to study rather than what is truly needed; the Welfare Footprint Framework treats identification of neglected sources of pain as a structured step preceding quantification. The Knowns and Unknowns framework is mapped to welfare science: well-characterized problems with implementation gaps, recognized but unresolved problems, existing findings not yet integrated into assessment (neuroscience of shared brainstem and midbrain origins of affect), and problems undetected by current methods. AI is proposed as a tool to surface undetected welfare problems through analysis of behavioral video, biometric data, and farming-system models
Recommended citation:
Alonso, W. J. & Schuck-Paim, C. (2025). Borrowing the Knowns and Unknowns Framework to Reveal Blind Spots in Animal Welfare Science. Welfare Footprint Institute Technical Paper Series. 251