SRUC · Waitrose
Animal welfare
Research, out on the farm.
Animal welfare / In practice
Relaxed. Tense. Playful. Anxious. How an animal behaves can tell a trained observer something about how it is feeling. The challenge was to make that observation practical to record and useful to understand.
Watch before you record.
A trained assessor observes the animals and their expressive behaviour.
Illustration of the process, not an assessment tool.Observe
Start with the animal.
SRUC’s Professor Françoise Wemelsfelder developed the Qualitative Behavioural Assessment method. It gives trained assessors a way to recognise and record the expressive qualities of animal behaviour. The science belongs to SRUC; our contribution was the complete digital product.
Record
Designed for the field.
We brought the assessment process into a usable application, replacing fragmented forms and workflows. Different species, lengthy assessments and poor connectivity all shaped the product. Farmers, assessors and the teams reviewing results needed a consistent way to work with the observations.
Understand
Make observations useful.
Clearer records and results help teams interpret assessments and identify what to look at next. The product supports SRUC’s research in everyday use, giving animal welfare a place in the decisions people make on farms.
- Waitrose farms in the assessment programme
- 1,800
- Species-specific versions
- 6
BBC Food & Farming Awards
Farming for the Future
Compassion in World Farming
Best Retailer Innovation
Keep exploring
Savantech