A growing body of research documents the positive emotional capacities of pigs and develops ways to promote genuine thriving rather than merely reducing suffering. This science is transforming welfare standards.
Pig positive welfare research is generating an increasingly detailed picture of what thriving looks like for these intelligent, social animals. Beyond the absence of injury and disease, positive welfare involves play, curiosity, positive social interactions, comfortable resting, and opportunity to express natural foraging and exploratory behavior. Farms that score well on positive welfare indicators — high rates of play, frequent positive vocalizations, approach toward stockpeople rather than flight — tend to have lower disease rates, better growth performance, and higher staff job satisfaction. The commercial alignment between positive welfare and production outcomes is one of the most compelling arguments for welfare investment in pig farming. The science makes clear that pigs are not just objects that produce meat but sentient individuals capable of rich positive experience when their needs are genuinely met.