Welfare Science

Pig Welfare and Welfare and Food System Resilience

Food system resilience and pig welfare are interconnected, as diverse, welfare-positive systems are more resistant to shocks than intensive monocultures.

Key Facts

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed fragility in intensive pig production supply chains
Diversified welfare-positive systems including outdoor and mixed farming are more resilient
ASF (African swine fever) outbreaks in intensive systems have caused massive welfare and economic harm
Small-scale and diversified pig systems maintained production when intensive systems collapsed
Welfare certification often correlates with management practices that also enhance resilience

Welfare Considerations

Welfare-positive pig systems tend to be more resilient as well as more ethical. Advocating for welfare simultaneously supports food system resilience.

What You Can Do

Support diversified and welfare-positive pig farming as a resilience investment
Advocate for supply chain diversity requirements in food security policy
Engage with the connections between welfare and food system resilience in advocacy