Research into pig cognition and emotional experience has transformed our understanding of what intensive farming means for these animals. The evidence demands moral consideration.
The scientific evidence for pig intelligence and emotional complexity is now extensive enough to make intensive farming practices ethically untenable under any framework that takes animal sentience seriously. Pigs that demonstrate theory of mind elements, pessimistic cognitive bias under poor welfare, and emotional contagion with suffering penmates are animals whose inner lives are morally relevant. The gap between what we know about pig cognition and what we permit in farming is one of the starkest disconnects in contemporary animal ethics. This evidence does not merely argue for enrichment in existing systems — it argues for a fundamental rethinking of what constitutes acceptable pig farming at all. Consumer and policy engagement with pig intelligence evidence is essential for translating scientific knowledge into welfare reform.