Pigs are among the most cognitively sophisticated farm animals, with documented problem-solving, social learning, and emotional complexity that demands enriched housing environments.
The cognitive sophistication of pigs creates strong ethical obligations for complex, stimulating environments that conventional intensive production systems cannot provide. Barren concrete-floored systems populated by animals whose cognitive needs are entirely unmet represent a significant ethical problem that intensifies as our understanding of pig intelligence advances. The enrichment requirements recognised in EU legislation, while a step forward, fall far short of what pig cognition research suggests is needed. Consumer awareness of pig intelligence alongside exposure to the conditions of intensive pig production is a powerful driver of welfare-motivated purchasing behaviour change.