Pigs are among the most cognitively sophisticated farmed animals, capable of complex emotional states including optimism, pessimism, and empathy — making positive welfare assessment for pigs an increasingly important area of farm animal science.
The science of pig positive welfare moves beyond preventing suffering to actively promoting good experiences — play, exploration, social bonding, and cognitive engagement. This represents a more demanding welfare standard than the Five Freedoms but is supported by growing evidence that positive states are not merely the absence of negative states. Farm assurance schemes are beginning to incorporate positive welfare indicators into audit frameworks, a significant evolution in how pig welfare is measured and rewarded.