Cattle, sheep, horses, and pigs are all highly social species whose welfare is severely compromised by isolation — a common but underappreciated source of suffering in farm management.
Social isolation causes measurable psychological suffering in gregarious species. Cattle separated from herd-mates vocalize persistently and show elevated stress hormones for days. Horses in solitary stabling develop stereotypies at far higher rates than socially housed horses. The normalized isolation common in conventional management systems represents a systemic welfare failure with known solutions.