Emergency evacuation planning for pig farms can prevent catastrophic welfare failures during disasters.
Emergency preparedness for pig farms is a welfare issue with catastrophic stakes when neglected. The high animal density in commercial pig facilities means that a single disaster event can kill tens or hundreds of thousands of animals, most experiencing agonizing deaths from smoke inhalation, drowning, or burns. Pre-disaster planning — fire suppression systems, flood monitoring, evacuation corridors, personnel training, and coordination with emergency services — can prevent or dramatically reduce these casualties. The scale of suffering in a single unplanned disaster on a large pig farm equals or exceeds the total welfare impact of many other welfare issues receiving greater attention.