We are happy to share the success of the LIFT Satellite Workshop on Positive Animal Welfare (PAW), held on 4 August 2025 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, during the 58th International Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE). More than 100 researchers from across Europe and beyond gathered in-person to hear about advances in PAW, exchange expertise and explore practical ways to promote positive animal experiences on farms.
Time | Topic |
|---|---|
10h00 | Introduction and welcome
|
Session 1 – What is positive animal welfare?
| |
10h15 | Plenary: What is positive animal welfare?
|
10h45
| Evolutionary origin and mechanisms of positive affect |
11h00
| From short-term to long-term positive affective states
|
11h15
| Factors behind positive affect and welfare – social life, individuality, choice and agency
|
11h30
| WORKSHOP + coffee. Divide into smaller groups to discuss specific themes. Number of themes will depend on number of participants, but examples of themes are: 1. What is a true positive affective state? Does it exist or is it all relative? 2. How is resilience (psychological and physical) important for positive animal welfare? 3. Challenges and barriers for application of positive animal welfare indicators on farm |
12h30
| LUNCH
|
Session 2 – How to recognise and assess positive animal welfare? | |
13h30
| Cognition and neuroscience – indicators best used in research?
|
13h45
| Plenary: Translating laboratory findings to on-farm setting (incl. stakeholder consultation)
|
14h15
| Precision livestock farming indicators of positive affect and welfare
|
14h30
| WORKSHOP, continued. Groups get back together to discuss on their previous themes and produce a poster
|
15h00
| Presentation of posters & coffee
|
15h45
| Summing up
|
16h00
| Closing
|
The workshop programme featured seven presentations from eleven LIFT sub-groups, all published as abstracts in a dedicated LIFT proceedings. The morning session addressed the definition and conceptual foundations of PAW, its evolutionary origins and the connections between short-term emotions and long-term welfare states. Discussions also examined the role of social relationships, individuality, choice and agency in shaping positive welfare outcomes.
The afternoon session explored innovative methods for recognising and assessing PAW, including behavioural, cognitive and neurobiological indicators. Presentations highlighted the challenges of translating laboratory-based knowledge into on-farm applications, the importance of stakeholder engagement and the potential of precision livestock farming technologies for large-scale welfare monitoring. Interactive group discussions encouraged participants to collaborate, exchange perspectives and summarise key ideas in posters presented later in the day. This format fostered a dynamic exchange within the research community, connecting scientific evidence with practical implementation.
The workshop highlighted the ongoing progress in positive animal welfare research and emphasised the importance of collaboration and effective tools to improve farm animal welfare across Europe and beyond. To extend the impact even further, stickers and a specially designed postcard (intended for worldwide mailing) featuring the official definition of positive animal welfare were shared (with QR codes to the publication and explanatory video), aiming to make this knowledge visible and accessible to as many people as possible.
Watch the short video about the meeting here: this YouTube video.
The book of abstracts for the LIFT satellite workshop can be downloaded here (Filepath on the LIFT website: Outputs -> Reports), and LIFT members can download photos of the event in the photo gallery of the Members Area of the LIFT website.
Written by Madalina Mincu, photos by Boris Antunovic.
