Research into pig cognition reveals sophisticated mental abilities that strengthen the ethical case for enriched housing and meaningful social environments.
Pig cognition research has transformed our understanding of what intensive farming environments deny these animals. Pigs capable of complex learning, emotional responses, and social recognition are profoundly deprived in barren slatted-floor pens. Enrichment provision, mandated in EU law but often poorly implemented, reduces chronic boredom and frustration. Farms that provide meaningful enrichment including rooting materials, novel objects, and social stability achieve better welfare and often better productivity.