The quality of human-animal interaction on pig farms profoundly affects pig welfare, with research showing that pigs that have regular positive contact with humans are less fearful, less stressed, and have better health outcomes.
Positive human-pig contact research provides compelling evidence that how farm workers feel about and interact with animals is the foundational determinant of on-farm welfare. Physical infrastructure, enrichment, and space all matter, but without positive human interaction, even well-designed systems produce fearful animals with compromised welfare. Changing stockperson attitude — toward viewing pigs as sentient beings deserving consideration — produces more durable improvement than technique training alone, because attitude drives all subsequent interactions rather than only the specific behaviours targeted in technique programmes. This places the welfare of farm workers — who cannot hold positive attitudes toward animals in exploitative or stressful working environments — as a prerequisite for achieving positive animal welfare.