Research into positive emotional states in pigs reveals that farm animal welfare is not just about preventing suffering - it also means providing opportunities for genuine positive experiences.
The science of positive emotions in pigs represents a paradigm shift in how we understand farm animal welfare. For decades, welfare assessment focused primarily on preventing negative states - pain, fear, hunger. We now know that good welfare requires more than the absence of suffering: it requires the presence of positive experiences. Pigs that are genuinely happy - engaged, curious, playful, and socially connected - are not just better off individually; they grow better, are healthier, and require fewer veterinary interventions. Positive welfare indicators like play behaviour, social grooming, and optimistic cognitive bias are now being incorporated into farm welfare auditing frameworks. The commercial case for positive pig welfare is strong: a happier pig is also, in most cases, a more productive one.