Pigs demonstrate problem-solving abilities, object permanence, and social learning that significantly exceed popular assumptions and challenge farming practices.
The cognitive sophistication of pigs means that the welfare costs of barren confinement systems go beyond physical comfort to include psychological suffering from boredom, frustrated intelligence, and social deprivation. Pigs in enriched environments with rooting materials and social complexity show optimistic cognitive biases compared to those in barren systems. This evidence of emotional states directly linked to housing conditions provides a compelling case for environmental enrichment as a welfare necessity.