A comprehensive progress report on pig welfare in 2026 assesses advances across enrichment, housing, stunning, genetics, and welfare measurement, identifying where progress has been fastest and where gaps remain.
2026 represents a year of meaningful but insufficient progress for pig welfare. Advances in enrichment enforcement, stunning alternatives, and welfare measurement are genuine improvements that benefit millions of pigs. However, the pace of change remains too slow to rapidly reduce the welfare suffering of the 1.4 billion pigs produced annually. Accelerating progress requires intensified effort on all fronts: regulatory, market, scientific, and cultural.