Scottish Animal Welfare Commission: Good Food Nation animal welfare indicators

Appendix I: Summary table of welfare indicators

Level / Suggested Indicator

Level 1 Sub-group: One farm metrics

• Number of laying hens kept in cage-free systems
• Number of sows kept in free-farrowing systemsNumber of dairy calves housed in group pens
• Number of broiler chickens kept at stocking densities of 30 kg/m² or less

• Number of farms accredited by different bodies
• Inspection reports and APHA collated data

Slaughterhouse data on management actions:

• castration and tail docking incidence for pigs and sheep

Slaughterhouse data on key common diseases:

• incidence of ecto- and endoparasitism in all species
• enzootic pneumonia in pigs
• liver condemnations in cattle, sheep and pigs
• pododermatitis and bumble foot in poultry
• Slaughterhouse data on injuries:
• Carcase rejections for welfare-related issues (e.g. bruising)
• Injury and integument alterations (e.g. feather condition, lesions, hock swellings)

• Distance travelled to abattoir
• Dead on Arrival data (especially poultry and pigs)
• Incidence to non-stun slaughter, stunning methods and mis-stuns
• Evidence of catching injuries in poultry
• Infringements of transport legislation

• Provision of enrichment (all species)
• Turnout for dairy cows
• Bedding provision for growing/finishing pigs
• Use of appropriate pain management (all species)
• Lameness incidence (all species)
• Body condition scoring (cattle, sheep, pigs)
• Incidence of keel bone fracture (laying hens)
• Incidence of notifiable and signal diseases (all species)
• On farm mortality records (all species)
• SSPCA data on welfare complaints and outcomes (all species)

• QBA assessments of on farm welfare (all species)
• Validated data derived from automated assessments
• Integrated platforms to provide a multi-dimensional welfare index
• Food labelling (and purchasing) of method of production and positive welfare attributes
• QR codes on animal-source products to provide additional welfare information
• Training and certification schemes for stock people on animal wefare