Pig cognition rivals that of dogs and primates, making cognitive enrichment an important welfare frontier beyond simple physical enrichment provision.
Pig cognitive enrichment moves the welfare conversation from "how do we stop pigs hurting each other?" to "what do pigs need to have genuinely good lives?" The evidence that pigs have sophisticated cognitive abilities suggests they experience boredom, frustration, and potentially something analogous to intellectual deprivation when housed in barren environments. Commercial implementation of cognitive enrichment is challenging but not impossible: puzzle feeders, foraging boards, and operant interaction panels are all feasible at scale. The welfare case is not only ethical but practical — cognitively enriched pigs show less aggression, better growth, and fewer health problems.