Pigs are among the most cognitively sophisticated of all farmed animals, with intelligence comparable to some primates, making cognitive enrichment and mental stimulation as important as physical welfare provisions in their care.
The cognitive complexity of pigs has significant implications for how we understand their welfare needs. A highly intelligent animal kept in a barren environment without cognitive engagement is not merely physically restricted but mentally understimulated in ways that cause a distinct form of welfare harm through boredom and frustration. Pigs in enriched environments that provide cognitive challenges alongside physical enrichment materials show better behavioral welfare, reduced aggression, and lower rates of harmful behaviors like tail biting. The evidence for pig intelligence should inform not only enrichment design but the entire framework for thinking about what pigs need to thrive. Environments that fail to engage the cognitive capacities of these animals fall short of providing the welfare conditions appropriate to the species they house, regardless of whether basic physical needs are met.