Modern pig welfare science increasingly focuses on positive welfare states including play, curiosity and social bonding, not just the absence of suffering.
For decades, farm animal welfare was primarily assessed by the absence of negative states: no lameness, no injuries, no disease. Research now demonstrates that welfare also requires positive experiences: social play, exploration, satisfying natural behaviours and positive social interactions. Pigs in enriched environments show more play, more exploratory behaviour and lower cortisol than pigs in barren systems. Measuring positive as well as negative welfare indicators provides a more complete picture and motivates improvements beyond merely preventing suffering.