The Welfare Footprint Institute (originally known as the Center for Welfare Metrics, and then as the Welfare Footprint Project) 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”.
Funding
As of July 2022, the Welfare Footprint Project and its principal investigators have received over $980,000 in funding from Open Philanthropy.[1]
Further reading
Schuck-Paim, Cynthia & Wladimir J. Alonso (2021) Quantifying Pain Laying Hens: A Blueprint for the Comparative Analysis of Welfare in Animals.
Schuck-Paim, Cynthia & Wladimir J. Alonso (2022) Quantifying Pain in Broiler Chickens: Impact of the Better Chicken Commitment and Adoption of Slower-Growing Breeds on Broiler Welfare.
St. Jules, Michael (2021) Welfare Footprint Project—a blueprint for quantifying animal pain, Effective Altruism Forum, June 26.
External links
Welfare Footprint Institute. Official website.
Related entries
Animal welfare | Cost-effectiveness analysis | Farmed animal welfare | Pain and suffering
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Open Philanthropy (2022) Grants database: Center for Welfare Metrics, Cynthia Schuck & Wladimir Alonso, Open Philanthropy.