7 minute learn
This month, we spoke with Dr. Cynthia Schuck-Paim and Dr. Wladimir J. Alonso, Co-Founders of the Welfare Footprint Institute (WFI), a non-profit analysis group devoted to creating and disseminating scientifically rigorous strategies for quantifying animal welfare.
With backgrounds in evolutionary biology, epidemiology, and animal welfare science, Cynthia and Wladimir co-founded WFI to advance the science of animal welfare and developed its central innovation—the Welfare Footprint Framework. By way of analysis, coaching, and consulting, they apply this framework worldwide to supply standardized, scientifically rigorous metrics for quantifying and evaluating welfare.
On this interview, they share the imaginative and prescient behind the Welfare Footprint Institute, how their framework helps combine animal expertise into coverage, business, and advocacy, and their hopes for shaping a extra compassionate future for animals.
What’s the “Welfare Footprint Framework,” and the way does it work in observe?
The Welfare Footprint Framework (WFF) is a scientific methodology for quantifying animal welfare when it comes to lived experiences. It interprets proof from physiology, conduct, neurology, and pharmacology into standardized measures of time animals spend in detrimental (Ache) and optimistic (Pleasure) affective states, at various intensities. These metrics—Cumulative Ache and Cumulative Pleasure—enable direct comparability of welfare impacts throughout species, techniques, animal-sourced merchandise, practices, and interventions.
In observe, the tactic follows a clear analytical chain: description of residing circumstances → mapping of their organic penalties and respective prevalences within the goal inhabitants → stock of ensuing affective experiences → calculation of metrics of cumulative welfare impacts. This evidence-to-judgment course of makes welfare impacts auditable and comparable, enabling any stakeholder (advocates, funders, producers, policymarkers, regulators, traders) to weigh animal welfare alongside prices, productiveness, environmental and social outcomes.
How do you resolve which animal welfare reforms or species to give attention to?
Our choice is guided by a mix of:
Magnitude of potential welfare acquire: reforms that may forestall the longest time of animal ache, significantly intense ache.
Choice relevance: contexts the place metrics can inform coverage, business, or advocacy decisions which might be beneath dialogue.
Feasibility of proof synthesis: species or practices the place knowledge availability permits strong quantification.
Stakeholder demand: funders, advocacy teams, and business actors typically request analyses of particular reforms they want to promote, and we intention to answer these requests after they align with our analytical requirements and potential for impression.
What are a number of the key findings or “large wins” you’ve had to this point?
- Quantification of fish ache throughout slaughter. We estimated that rainbow trout expertise a median of as much as 22 minutes of intense ache throughout air asphyxia, with efficient gorgeous doubtlessly averting 1-20 hours of average to excessive ache per greenback spent in capital prices. This analysis reached over 100 media retailers and an estimated 200-300 million folks globally, indicating that these concrete welfare metrics generate way more public engagement and media traction than summary welfare claims.
- Proof that larger welfare techniques are usually not prohibitively costly. Our Nature Meals research confirmed that switching to slower-growing broiler breeds may forestall 15-100 hours of intense ache per chook whereas including solely about $1/kg of meat. When environmental prices are monetized, the welfare positive aspects price mere ten-thousandths of a greenback per hour of ache prevented–successfully debunking claims that welfare enhancements are too expensive or environmentally damaging.
- Discovering that barren environments amplify ache depth and delay therapeutic. Our analysis on “The Ache Echo Chamber” with main ache researchers reveals that ache is perceived as extra intense and takes longer to heal within the barren, intensive environments typical of contemporary animal agriculture–which means welfare issues in these techniques are worse than beforehand understood. A overview demonstrating these results is predicted for 2026.
- Discovery that early-life circumstances form lifelong welfare in salmon. Our work on Atlantic salmon in RAS hatcheries revealed that early-life circumstances completely form welfare outcomes later in life. The work recognized three precedence interventions for the hatchery part, with varied organizations and certifiers with plans to include these suggestions into future welfare requirements. The work ought to be printed quickly.
- Growth of the primary complete Welfare Footprint of a product. The Welfare Footprint of the Egg (publishing 2026) quantifies 125 totally different affective experiences throughout all egg manufacturing techniques and assesses the impression of a number of interventions and reforms. This work, co-authored by over 60 teachers, supplies the primary full welfare evaluation of a whole manufacturing chain.
- Widespread adoption of the framework. Over 50 organizations at the moment are utilizing the Welfare Footprint Framework and our estimates for intervention prioritization, with varied teams integrating it instantly into their cost-effectiveness fashions.
- First main business partnership. A main South American meat producer adopted the framework throughout its whole beef provide chain (~1,200 producers), utilizing it to establish cost-effective welfare enhancements like shade provision to scale back warmth stress, phasing out of practices akin to dehorning, and enhancements when it comes to transport length, provision of enrichment, amongst others.
- Integration into authorities decision-making. Some working teams are incorporating our estimates into welfare valuation fashions, and a few nationwide companies are utilizing the framework for animal cruelty litigation.
What are the largest challenges you face in quantifying animal welfare, and the way are you addressing them?
Subjectivity of affective states: We mitigate this by grounding estimates in express, multi-disciplinary proof, through the use of clear notation techniques (Ache-Monitor, Pleasure-Monitor) and by incorporating uncertainty and variability in all estimates.
Interspecific variations: we’re at the moment creating a framework for integrating variations in hedonic capability throughout species, in addition to for measuring variations within the distribution of struggling throughout populations.
Scaling adoption: We’re restricted when it comes to what number of species, techniques, and practices we are able to analyze instantly with our analysis capability. To handle this, we’ll proceed coaching teachers, advocates, policymakers and different stakeholders within the technique, enhance current AI instruments and develop new ones that may facilitate the analytical course of, in addition to launch new packages (e.g., an elite certification program to intensively prepare people on the WFF) to broaden our analysis capability.
Wanting forward, what’s on the horizon that excites you most about your work?
Wanting forward, what excites us most is the opportunity of serving to rework how society addresses animal welfare. That is an bold objective, however we consider that if you measure animal welfare in concrete and relatable phrases–as an example, hours of intense ache fairly than summary issues–folks reply. Media retailers disseminate the findings. Customers perceive the impacts. Policymakers can justify laws. Courts settle for rigorous proof. Retailers can set procurement requirements. Funders can optimize their impression. Corporations can differentiate real enhancements. Advocates strengthen their campaigns with plain knowledge. We’re simply getting began and we’re seeing optimistic impacts we had not anticipated. Taking a look at our roadmap for change and future plans, right here’s what excites me most:
Reaching a tipping level for systemic change: we consider that when we now have full Welfare Footprints for core animal merchandise (e.g., eggs, rooster, pork, fish, beef, dairy) the estimates can grow to be transformative.
The buyer app going dwell: we’re creating a cellular app to let buyers scan merchandise and immediately see their welfare impacts. Think about hundreds of thousands of shoppers instantly in a position to see that one product causes 50 hours of intense ache whereas one other causes 5.
Serving to finish the period of deceptive welfare claims: with quantified welfare metrics, “humane-washed” merchandise can be uncovered. With welfare impacts quantified, the market can reward real enhancements fairly than advertising and marketing
AI acceleration of our work: our Ache Atlas challenge utilizing AI to map and quantify 1000’s of welfare challenges may cut back evaluation time by 50%. This implies we are able to broaden protection exponentially – from lots of to doubtlessly 1000’s of welfare assessments per 12 months.
Trade transformation: with a serious meat producer already utilizing our framework and a certifier doubtlessly incorporating our suggestions, we’re seeing early indicators that welfare quantification can grow to be customary observe.
An Elite Certification Program creating unbiased capability: coaching specialists who can conduct assessments independently means our impression can multiply past our crew’s capability.
Most basically, we’re enthusiastic about making animal experiences plain—reworking welfare from a subjective concern into goal, measurable actuality that calls for motion.
When you needed to share a closing message with the ACE viewers, what wouldn’t it be?
Animal welfare is usually sidelined as a result of it appears “immeasurable.” By expressing it as time in Ache and Pleasure, backed by plain scientific proof, we make animal expertise scientifically quantifiable, instantly comparable, and decision-relevant. This turns ethical concern into operational data that may shift coverage, markets, and shopper conduct towards decreasing animal struggling at scale.
Animal Charity Evaluators awarded the Welfare Footprint Institute a $50,000 Motion Grant to help their challenge Enhancing Farmed Fish Welfare at Slaughter by Reforming Pre-Slaughter Operations. This analysis will assist inform laws, advocacy, and business practices to drive more practical welfare interventions. To study extra concerning the Welfare Footprint Institute and the way they’re making very important change for animals, go to their web site.
Affect extra funding for animals
To help a spread of organizations working to scale back animal struggling across the globe, contemplate making a present to our Motion Grants program
ACE is devoted to making a world the place all animals can thrive, no matter their species. We take the
guesswork out of supporting animal advocacy by directing funds towards probably the most impactful charities and packages,
based mostly on proof and analysis.
167
Recipients engaged on promising initiatives
42
International locations throughout six continents.
$68M
Donations inside the animal advocacy motion.
$58,000,000+
in donations already made to our really helpful charities between January 2019 and March 2025
Seeking to make your first donation? We’re comfortable to assist
