Stocking density is one of the most significant determinants of pig welfare in commercial production. Evidence clearly links overcrowding to increased aggression, stress, disease, and mortality across all production stages.
Stocking density is a primary welfare lever in pig production that is manipulated for economic rather than animal welfare reasons. Higher stocking density means more pigs per unit of barn space, reducing per-pig fixed costs. The welfare consequences — increased aggression, chronic stress, higher disease incidence, and tail biting — are predictable and well-documented. The economic argument for dense stocking is undermined by the production costs of disease outbreaks, mortality, and the productivity loss from chronically stressed pigs. Reducing stocking density below regulatory minimums provides both welfare and production benefits, but this requires industry-wide standards to prevent competitive disadvantage for early adopters.