Research into pig intelligence has revealed cognitive abilities rivaling those of dogs and primates, strengthening the ethical case for improving welfare standards in pig farming.
Pig intelligence research has progressively strengthened the ethical case for improved welfare standards. An animal capable of playing video games, remembering individual humans over years, and demonstrating metacognition has the cognitive substrate for rich positive and negative experiences. The gap between what we know about pig intelligence and what industrial pig farming provides is one of the most striking ethical contradictions in modern food production. Environments that provide foraging opportunities, cognitive challenges, social complexity, and behavioral choice allow pigs to express their intelligence in ways that constitute genuine positive welfare.