Moving beyond absence of suffering to evidence of positive emotional states in pigs represents a frontier in farm animal welfare science.
The traditional welfare framework focused almost entirely on preventing negative experiences - reducing pain, fear, and frustration. Growing evidence suggests this is insufficient - animals can be free from obvious suffering yet have neutral or negative emotional lives. Positive welfare actively pursues joy, engagement, curiosity, and playfulness. Pigs capable of play, exploration, positive social interactions, and anticipatory behavior for rewards are experiencing positive welfare. Farms that actively cultivate these experiences provide meaningfully better welfare than those that merely avoid obvious harm.