Excellent stockmanship transforms pig welfare outcomes. The most welfare-positive pig farms combine good physical systems with exceptional human-animal relationship management.
Stockmanship excellence is the multiplier that determines whether good physical systems produce good welfare outcomes. Two farms with identical buildings and enrichment can have dramatically different welfare profiles based on the quality of daily human-pig interaction. Recognizing, rewarding, and training for excellent stockmanship is the most human-centered welfare improvement available in pig farming.