Table 1.

Different measure classes used for assessing animal welfare.

Measure Class	Description	Advantages	Limitations
Animal-based measures (AMB)	Methods for assessing animal welfare that inspect how animals react physiologically and behaviorally to their surroundings and encounters (e.g., body condition score, milk production and composition, reproductive performance, time spent lying, etc.).	Provide precise and immediate quantification.	Require in-depth knowledge and understanding of the animal.
Resource-based measures (RBM)	Animal welfare indicators that evaluate the availability and quality of resources provided to animals (e.g., housing conditions, lighting, ventilation efficiency, access to shade and pasture, etc.).	Provide objective and quantitative data.	Focusing on the physical structures does not allow evaluation of the welfare of the individual animal.
Management-based measures (MBM)	Animal welfare measures that evaluate how animals are managed or treated, including the management practices employed in rearing animals and the physical environment in which they are housed (e.g., training and education, implementation of animal welfare policies, record-keeping and data analysis).	Provide practical solutions to welfare issues.	May not reflect animal welfare. Can be affected by human biases.