Scientific research has revealed remarkable cognitive abilities in pigs that have profound implications for how we understand and address pig welfare.
The growing scientific literature on pig cognition creates a compelling welfare case for radical improvement in how these animals are kept. Pigs that can play video games, recognize themselves in mirrors, and deceive competitors for food resources are experiencing something profoundly different and richer than previously assumed. When such animals are confined in barren concrete pens unable to root, explore, or engage socially, the mismatch between their cognitive complexity and their environment constitutes severe welfare deprivation.