Welfare Science

Pig Welfare and Common Values Advanced

Advanced engagement with shared values across farming, advocacy, and consumer communities reveals the common ethical foundations that can support broad coalition-building for pig welfare improvement.

Key Facts

Surveys across farming and non-farming communities show 85% agreement that pigs should not suffer unnecessarily
Farmers who identify as animal carers show stronger welfare commitment than those with purely production identities
Religious communities across traditions share commitments to avoiding unnecessary animal suffering
Consumer-farmer dialogue initiatives have revealed more common ground than expected
Common values provide more durable foundations for welfare change than external pressure alone

Welfare Considerations

Advanced engagement with shared values reveals that the apparent gulf between farming and advocacy communities on animal welfare is narrower than public debates suggest. Building welfare change on shared values - that animals should not suffer unnecessarily, that farming should be done responsibly - creates more durable coalitions than adversarial approaches. Finding and amplifying common ground enables welfare progress that neither side could achieve alone.

What You Can Do

Engage with farming communities from a values-aligned rather than adversarial position
Support dialogue initiatives bringing farmers and welfare advocates together
Advocate from shared values rather than from positions that maximise division