Pig Stockmanship: Human-Animal Relationships and Welfare

The quality of human-animal relationships on pig farms profoundly affects pig welfare, with fearful pigs showing worse welfare indicators across multiple measures.

Key Facts

Pigs on farms where they are handled fearfully show elevated stress hormones
Human approach test scores predict pig welfare on-farm better than many housing measures
Positive human-animal interactions including stroking reduce fearfulness significantly
Fearful pigs are more difficult to handle, creating a negative feedback loop
Stockmanship training that improves attitudes toward pigs reduces fear indicators in pigs

Welfare Considerations

Pigs on farms where stockworkers have negative attitudes toward the animals show measurably higher fear responses, reduced growth rates, and poorer immune function reflecting chronic stress. Fear of humans affects pig welfare in every human-animal interaction including feeding, health checks, and management procedures. Positive stockmanship that includes deliberate calm, positive interactions reduces pig fearfulness and improves welfare indicators. The human-animal relationship quality is a welfare determinant that operates in addition to housing and management factors, and can improve or worsen welfare within any housing system.

What You Can Do

Support stockmanship training programs including human-animal relationship improvement
Advocate for stockmanship quality assessment in farm assurance schemes
Choose pork from farms that train stockworkers in animal welfare and handling
Donate to organisations developing and delivering pig welfare training
Raise awareness about stockmanship quality as a major determinant of pig welfare