Pig Farming

Pig Welfare and Worker Safety

Pig farming worker safety and pig welfare are connected through stockperson wellbeing affecting their capacity to provide quality animal care.

Key Facts

Pig farm workers face physical risks including bites, crush injuries, and respiratory disease
Mental health challenges including isolation and stress affect stockperson quality of care
Well-supported farm workers provide better welfare outcomes for animals in their care
Training investment in stockperson skills improves both worker confidence and pig welfare
High staff turnover disrupts welfare provision as experienced stockpeople are replaced

Welfare Considerations

Stockperson wellbeing is not separate from animal welfare - workers under excessive stress, inadequate training, or poor physical working conditions are less able to provide quality animal care. Fatigue from shift patterns, physical injury from inadequate equipment, and stress from inadequate support all translate into reduced welfare quality for pigs. Investing in worker conditions is therefore simultaneously an animal welfare investment.

What You Can Do

Support pig farming organisations that prioritise stockperson welfare alongside animal welfare
Advocate for working condition standards in pig farm welfare assurance schemes
Engage with the connections between worker and animal welfare in food system advocacy