Farm Animals

Pig Welfare: Positive Indicators of Thriving

Moving beyond negative welfare assessment, positive welfare indicators for pigs capture states of thriving that go beyond the mere absence of suffering.

Key Facts

Play behaviour including running, jumping, and play-fighting indicates positive affect in pigs
Anticipatory behaviour toward positive events reflects optimistic cognitive states
Social grooming and proximity seeking indicate positive social bonds
Ear position, tail wagging, and relaxed body posture are positive welfare indicators across contexts

Welfare Considerations

Positive welfare indicators for pigs represent the frontier of welfare science. Measuring not just the absence of suffering but the presence of positive states enables assessment of whether animals are thriving rather than merely surviving. This paradigm shift has profound implications for welfare standards and assessment.

What You Can Do

Support farms committed to achieving positive welfare indicators, not just meeting minimum standards
Engage with welfare science organisations developing positive indicator assessment tools
Advocate for positive welfare metrics to be included in farm assurance certification criteria