How positive reinforcement training improves pig welfare in commercial and research settings by reducing fear, facilitating veterinary care, and enriching daily life.
Commercial pig farming relies heavily on aversive handling methods including electric goads and force, which cause fear and stress with measurable welfare costs. Positive reinforcement training offers a welfare-aligned alternative that also benefits production outcomes. Trained pigs cooperate with routine procedures, reducing the cortisol spikes associated with fear-based handling that impair immune function and growth. Training also enriches the otherwise barren daily life of many commercially farmed pigs and improves the human-animal relationship, which independently improves welfare outcomes. The main barriers to adoption are staff time and training costs, but these are often offset by improved handling efficiency and reduced injury. Research farms and some progressive commercial operations have demonstrated the practical feasibility of widespread implementation.