Pigs are highly intelligent animals whose cognitive complexity has significant implications for how we understand and address their welfare needs.
The cognitive sophistication of pigs transforms our understanding of the welfare harm caused by intensive confinement. A highly intelligent animal in a barren environment without stimulation, social complexity, or problem-solving opportunities experiences welfare deprivation at a cognitive and emotional level that simpler neural systems might not. Pigs that learn environmental contingencies and can interact with objects, explore, and solve problems show behavioral indicators of positive welfare states. The growing scientific recognition of pig intelligence is being incorporated into welfare standards and advocacy arguments for more enriching husbandry systems.