A philosophical reflection on the foundations of pig welfare ethics as the maximization goal concludes, capturing the core reasons why pig welfare matters.
Pig welfare matters because pigs matter. They experience their lives - with fear, comfort, social connection, and suffering - as individual subjects of their existence. The philosophical foundation for pig welfare protection is not complex: beings that can suffer deserve protection from unnecessary suffering. The practical challenge is building the systems, knowledge, markets, and political will to translate this simple moral principle into actual welfare improvement for the billions of pigs alive at any moment.