Pig Welfare in Intensive Farming Systems

Pigs are among the most cognitively complex farmed animals, yet most are raised in intensive systems that severely restrict their behavioural needs.

Key Facts

Over one billion pigs are slaughtered for food globally each year
Around 70 percent of pigs are raised in intensive indoor systems with limited space and enrichment
Tail biting is a major welfare problem in barren environments and is controlled by painful tail docking
Gestations crates confine pregnant sows so severely they cannot turn around for weeks at a time
Pigs rank highly in cognitive tests compared to dogs and some primates
The EU partially banned gestation crates in 2013 but exceptions allow confinement during mating

Welfare Considerations

Pigs experience frustration, boredom, and social stress in intensive confinement systems. Their intelligence means they have rich inner lives that are severely compromised by barren environments. Welfare improvements including straw bedding, enrichment objects, group housing, and outdoor access are known to improve pig welfare significantly but remain minority practice globally.

What You Can Do

Reduce or eliminate pork and bacon consumption from intensive systems
Choose RSPCA Assured or equivalent welfare-certified pork products
Support campaigns for gestation crate bans and enrichment requirements
Advocate for the EU ban on tail docking to be fully enforced
Share pig intelligence and welfare information to challenge normalisation of factory pig farming