ISSN 2462-7518

INTENSIVE PIG FARMING: ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Elena Lara de la Casa

SUMMARY

I. Introduction
II. THE NATURAL BEHAVIOR OF PIGS
III. INTENSIVE PIG FARMING
IV. ETHICS
V. CONCLUSIONS
VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. INTRODUCTION
Pork is the most widely consumed meat in the world. To produce the quantities of pig
meat needed to meet customer demand, pig farms have become industrialized systems and
hundreds of millions of pigs around the world are kept in these factories. In these indoor
facilities, pigs suffer from confinement, isolation or overcrowding and the frustration of their
natural behavior. Also, they experience stress, discomfort, pain, injury and disease, are prone to
tail biting and are routinely fed up with antibiotics. Therefore, the way pigs are treated in
intensive systems poses ethical and welfare concerns. Here, I attempt to highlight the main
knowledge on natural pigs behavior as well as the psychological characteristics of pigs like
cognitive skills, intelligence and their capacity to feel emotions. Also, conditions of the intensive
indoor systems and the consequences for pig welfare are summarized. Finally, and based on this
information, intensive farming conditions are analyzed and discussed from an ethical point of
view.

II. THE NATURAL BEHAVIOR OF PIGS

The domestic pig (Sus scrofa) is an eutherian mammal and a member of the

derechoanimal.info Agosto 2017 1

 ISSN 2462-7518

Cetartiodactyla order and originates from the European wild boar1. Modern domesticated pigs
are not too dissimilar, cognitively and behaviorally, from ancestral and modern wild boars2-4.
Pigs are highly social animals that under free-ranging conditions live in groups of approximately
eight individuals. Grouping promotes foraging, nursing, and protection against predators. The
groups typically consist of three sows and their offspring, while boars are solitary5. A hierarchy
is formed at social maturity; for instance, sows in the same group cycle at the same time and
participate equally in group to the maternal behavior, although one sow will remain with the
piglets while the others forage. Pigs also build nests that they use to rest, to huddle and to give
birth by selecting a secluded area and collecting grass and small branches6. Pigs wallow in mud,
using its cooling properties to help them regulate their body temperature and skin care since
they have only few sweat glands7.

Our understanding of pigs’ psychology, intelligence and cognition, however, is less

studied because the scientific research has been mainly focused on themes related to intensive
farming. However, recently, Marino and Colvin8, demonstrated that pigs possess complex
ethological traits similar to dogs or chimpanzees. They showed that pigs have the capacity for
long-term memory and for the comprehension of gestural and verbal symbols and actions. Also,
these animals seem to have the abilities of time perception and anticipation as well as self-
awareness. As social animals, pigs are playful animals9, which is related with creativity, cognitive
complexity and certain personality traits. The study of personality is important to recognize in
non-human animals individuality and then, they can be viewed not only as one-dimensional
interchangeable members of a species, but rather as more complex individuals. Several studies
have found personality profiles, dimensions and structures in pigs comparable to the human
dimensions of agreeableness, extraversion and openness10,11. Finally, pigs have demonstrated
feeling emotions like anxiety, fear and even empathy12,13. Therefore, pigs are sensitive to the
emotions of other pigs and they respond with anticipation to positive and negative events of
other pigs, revealing the importance of the environment and circumstances that surround them.

III. INTENSIVE PIG FARMING

At the present time, more than one billion pigs are killed each year worldwide14. The
majority of pigs are used for human feeding but also supply skin, fat and other materials destined
for clothing, ingredients for processed foods, cosmetics and other medical uses. To achieve these
high numbers, pig farms have become massive and commercial pig production industries.

derechoanimal.info Agosto 2017 2

 ISSN 2462-7518

Firstly, pigs on commercial facilities are raised in much smaller spaces than they would
normally occupy if they were permitted to roam freely. The lack of space and the artificial group
structure can negatively influence social interactions15. Inadequate space allowance also
contributes to stress and increased levels of aggression, harmful social behaviors and
transmission of diseases16. For pigs in the fattening stage of production, respiratory and enteric
diseases are common infectious disorders17. Secondly, indoor facilities are characterized by
slatted floors and steel fixtures in order to facilitate the handling and the cleaning of the area.
However, this industrial facility characterized by the absence of enriched, interesting
surroundings, produces apathy and frustration that may manifest itself in abnormal behaviors
such as tail biting or biting others15,18. To prevent tail biting, the tails of newborn piglets are
usually cut off quickly and without any pain relief. In the industrial facilities, the inadequate
flooring also causes foot lesions in pigs, leading to claw injuries, over grown claws and pain19.

Thirdly, odors, dust, and noxious gases, including ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and
methane, emanate from industrial confinement farming operations due to the decomposition of
animal waste20. Poor air quality also causes serious consequences for the health of pigs, such as
pulmonary diseases20.

Moreover, pregnant sows are commonly confined in individual stalls, small cages that
restrict normal postural adjustments that are so narrow that they prevent the sow from even
turning around15. Sow stalls negatively affect the health of the animals. The restriction of
movement and the lack of exercise can lead to a reduction in muscle weight and bone strength.
These restricted animals also have higher basal heart rates due to their inactivity and they can
experience soreness and injuries from rubbing against the bars. As a consequence, sows suffer
from psychological problems, as evidenced by the presence of stereotypies (repetitive
behavioral patterns induced by repeated coping attempts, frustration, and/or brain
dysfunction21) like bar-biting (on the stalls that confines them) and sham-chewing (with nothing
in their mouth)22. Fortunately, the use of sow stalls is already limited or prohibited by legislation
in several European countries, including the UK, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Switzerland.
However, in the EU as a whole, individual housing in stalls still remains the most widely used
housing system for sows during gestation15.

Finally, there are also other problematic issues related to intensive industrial pig

derechoanimal.info Agosto 2017 3

 ISSN 2462-7518

farming. For instance, individualized attention to each animal is generally nonexistent and thus,
when animals become sick or injured and their pain and suffering cannot be controlled, the pigs
are sometimes killed on-farm. In commercial pig confinement operations, the animals are
largely not used to novel experiences and human handling. So, moving them between production
sites or onto a transport truck can be difficult for both pigs and handlers. Handlers often use an
electric prod - a device that delivers a high voltage electric shock. Despite industry-wide
recognition that electric prods are stressful for pigs, their use remains widespread. The
castration of male piglets is also commonly performed to avoid “the boar taint” (offensive odor
or taste that can be evident during the cooking or eating of pork products derived from non-
castrated male pigs once they reach puberty). Surgical castration represents a serious welfare
problem and some studies confirm that it is painful. Following castration, piglets show
behavioral changes indicative of pain, including trembling, spasms, stiffness, prostration,
huddling up, avoidance of certain postures, tail wagging and scratching the rump, and some of
these behaviors persist for several days following the procedure23. The transportation of young
pigs from farrowing operations to grow-out facilities and the transportation of adult pigs to the
slaughter plant are a source of several welfare problems too. Although conditions for each trip
vary, pigs can experience a range of stressors, including loading onto the truck, the comfort and
postural stability of animals during the journey, the difference of temperature outside and inside
the truck, the restriction of feed and water and the inhumane handling and loading of the
animals. Upon arrival at the slaughter facility, some pigs are too sick, injured, stressed or
fatigued to walk on their own. Others do not survive the trip. Once the pigs arrive to the slaughter
plant, they are sometimes rendered insensitive prior to slaughter with the use of a captive bolt
gun, an electric current, or by carbon dioxide (CO2) gassing. The adequacy of stunning methods
at producing unconsciousness has been elucidated in laboratory studies. The bolt gun is capable
of producing an immediate, irreversible stun based on electrical activity recorded in the brain.
CO2 stunning, however, is not instantaneous, and neurological measures reported that it takes
60 seconds for pigs to become unconscious24. Immediately after an animal is rendered
unconscious, vigorous convulsions may occur. However, it is not completely clear whether
muscular movements that occur during CO2 stunning are reflexive, a consequence of convulsive
activity in unconscious animals, or conscious attempts to avoid the gas25.

IV. ETHICS
The scientific research described above clearly proves that our knowledge about natural
pig behavior, psychology, intelligence and cognition is currently well known. At the same time,

derechoanimal.info Agosto 2017 4

 ISSN 2462-7518

it is demonstrated, and supported by science, that intensive farming produces serious problems
of suffering, pain and misery to pigs. Therefore, the mandatory question which we, as humans,
should ask ourselves is as follows: is it ethical and moral to continue manipulating the lives of
pigs for the enjoyment of humans, knowing the suffering that it involves?.

It is evident that there is discordance between the behavioral needs of pigs and the life
afforded to those raised commercially for the meat industry, which has created many physical
and physiological animal welfare problems. However, the answer to this question will depend
on how we think that animals should be treated, and what we consider to be their status as living
beings. Peter Singer, a utilitarian philosopher, affirms in his book “Animal Liberation”, that the
interests of animals should be considered because of their ability to experience suffering,
regardless of whether they have the faculty of reason or language. If a being suffers, “there can
be no moral justification for regarding the pain (or pleasure) that animals feels as less important
than the same amount of pain (or pleasure) felt by humans”26. Based on Singer’s formulations,
intensive pig farming represents a serious ethical issue. Among all the animals that humans raise
for feeding, the pig is the most intelligent, comparable to dogs and chimpanzees, as mentioned
above. Thus, we must keep in mind that pigs have high level of intelligence, that they are social
animals, and that they also have sensations and emotions to assess the breeding conditions.
However, emotional and social needs are ignored in intensive pig farming. Animals are locked
in tiny cages, mutilated, mothers separated from offspring, with the overcrowded and barren
facilities in the farming industries failing to offer pigs the opportunity to display their full range
of complex social and exploratory behaviors. Therefore, the application of industrial methods to
animal production causes a great degree of suffering.

Despite being aware of this suffering, humans continue raising pigs through intensive
farming methods. Singer also argues in his book that most human beings are what he called
“speciesist”, which entails “a prejudice or attitude of bias in favor of the interests of members of
one’s own species and against those members of other species”26. Therefore, we can conclude
that the human interest in pig breeding is higher than in their welfare. The interest may be
economic, or related to preferences of a meat diet or the use of certain clothing that demands
pigskin. Nevertheless, the problem may be that most humans consider animals as a property27;
therefore animals have only the value that we choose to give them. If we give animals the right
not be treated as our property, we may not use them for our benefit. Treating animals in a way
that we would never think it appropriate to treat any human; this is because we think that we
have the right to do it because they are our property27. We breed pigs in order to take advantage

derechoanimal.info Agosto 2017 5

 ISSN 2462-7518

of them, and then we have an obligation to take care of their welfare. But, maybe we should stop
bringing them into existence on such a massive scale, and using them as a resource, thus
reducing suffering and ensuring that we would not be responsible for more innocent deaths.

Finally, our attitude towards animals is conditioned by our education. In the case of pigs,
from childhood onwards, the word “pig” is used to suggest someone to be dirty, indecent,
dishonest or despicable. This meaning of the word is then applied to the animal, however this is
very far detached from reality. As it was described above, pigs are quiet, social and intelligent
animals with cognitive and emotional capabilities. The ignorance and the lack of information,
however, leads us to consider pigs to be animals that do not deserve our consideration. A more
complete, accurate and realistic education about pig biology and behavior may change the value
and importance of pig welfare in our society. Another important point to consider is the lack of
information that society has about intensive pig farming. The lack of awareness in our society
about animal abuse and cruelty in intensive farming may be due to the lack of awareness of
citizens. Most consumers do not know what happens before the meat hits the plate; they do not
know how pigs are bred, grown or killed. A society that is more informed about the reality of
industrial farming could be more sensitive to animal farming problems and, in this case, about
pigs.

V. CONCLUSIONS
The way that we treat pigs in intensive farming has led to several ethical concerns. Pigs
are treated simply as units of production rather than as the sentient beings that they are. Most
pigs are now raised in industrial confinement operations, massive industries where animal
welfare concerns often remain unaddressed despite substantial scientific evidence that the
animals in these conditions routinely suffer in a variety of ways. The pig production industry
has failed to fully recognize and adequately address welfare concerns. There is a desperate need
to improve their housing, care, and treatment throughout the industry and to work on a new
way of viewing farmed animals.

derechoanimal.info Agosto 2017 6

 ISSN 2462-7518

VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY

1 Giuffra, E. et al. The Origin of the Domestic Pig: Independent Domestication

and Subsequent Introgression. Genetics 154, 1785-1791 (2000).
2 Jensen, P. Observations on the maternal behaviour of free-ranging domestic
pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 16, 131-142,
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(86)90105-X (1986).
3 Stolba, A. & Wood-Gush, D. G. The identification of behavioural key features
and their incorporation into a housing design for pigs. Annales de recherches
veterinaires. Annals of veterinary research 15, 287-299 (1984).
4 Held, S., Cooper, J. J., & Mendl, M. T. Advances in the study of cognition,
behavioural priorities and emotions. In J. N. Marchant-Forde (Ed.), The
welfare of pigs (pp. 47-94), Springer Science Business Media B.V. (2009).
5 Graves, H. B. Behavior and Ecology of Wild and Feral Swine (Sus Scrofa).
Journal of Animal Science 58, 482-492, doi:10.2527/jas1984.582482x
(1984).
6 DGM., S. A. a. W.-G. The behaviour of pigs in a semi-natural environment.
Animal Production 48, 419-425 (1989).
7 P., J. The Ethology of Domestic Animals: An Introductory Text. Wallingford,
U.K.: CABI Publishing, p. 162 (2002).
8 Marino, L. & Colvin, C. M. Thinking Pigs: A Comparative Review of Cognition,
Emotion, and Personality in Sus domesticus. International Journal of
Comparative Psychology 28 (2015).
9 Donaldson, T. M., Newberry, R. C., Špinka, M. & Cloutier, S. Effects of early play
experience on play behaviour of piglets after weaning. Applied Animal
Behaviour Science 79, 221-231, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0168-
1591(02)00138-7 (2002).
10 Gosling, S. D. & John, O. P. Personality Dimensions in Nonhuman Animals.
Current Directions in Psychological Science 8, 69-75, doi:10.1111/1467-
8721.00017 (1999).
11 Forkman, B., Furuhaug, I. L. & Jensen, P. Personality, coping patterns, and
aggression in piglets. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 45, 31-42,
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(95)00601-N (1995).
12 Reimert, I., Bolhuis, J. E., Kemp, B. & Rodenburg, T. B. Emotions on the loose:
emotional contagion and the role of oxytocin in pigs. Animal Cognition 18,
517-532, doi:10.1007/s10071-014-0820-6 (2015).
13 Reimert, I., Bolhuis, J. E., Kemp, B. & Rodenburg, T. B. Indicators of positive
and negative emotions and emotional contagion in pigs. Physiology &
Behavior 109, 42-50, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.11.002
(2013).
14 http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#home
15 Animal health and welfare aspects of different housing and husbandry systems
for adult breeding boars, pregnant, farrowing sows and unweaned piglets.
Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Animal Health and Welfare. Question no. EFSA-
Q-2006- 028. European Food Safety Authority. The EFSA Journal, 572: 1-13 (2007).

derechoanimal.info Agosto 2017 7

 ISSN 2462-7518

16 Sørensen V, J. S., and Mousing J. Diseases of the respiratory system. In: Straw
BE, Zimmerman JJ, D’Allaire S, and Taylor DJ (eds.), Diseases of Swine, 9th
Edition (Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Publishing, pp.149-78 (2006)).
17 Blackwell T. Production practices and well-being: swine. In: Benson GJ and
Rollin BE (eds.), The Well-Being of Farm Animals: Challenges and Solutions
(Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 241-69 (2004)).
18 Health, E. P. o. A. & Welfare. Scientific Opinion concerning a Multifactorial
approach on the use of animal and non-animal-based measures to assess the
welfare of pigs. EFSA Journal 12, 3702-n/a, doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3702
(2014).
19 Kilbride AL, G. C., and Green LE. Prevalence of foot lesions, limb lesions and
abnormal locomotion in pigs on commercial farms in Britain and risks
associated with flooring. The Pig Journal 61 (2008).
20 Donham, K. J. The Concentration of Swine Production: Effects on Swine
Health, Productivity, Human Health, and the Environment. Veterinary Clinics
of North America: Food Animal Practice 16, 559-597,
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0749-0720(15)30087-6 (2000).
21 Mason G and Rushen J. Stereotypic Animal Behavior: Fundamentals and
Applications to Welfare, 2nd Edition (Wallingford, U.K.: CABI, p. 347, (2006)).
22 Vieuille-Thomas, C., Le Pape, G. & Signoret, J. P. Stereotypies in pregnant
sows: indications of influence of the housing system on the patterns
expressed by the animals. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 44, 19-27,
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(95)00574-C (1995).
23 Hay, M., Vulin, A., Génin, S., Sales, P. & Prunier, A. Assessment of pain induced
by castration in piglets: behavioral and physiological responses over the
subsequent 5 days. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 82, 201-218,
doi:10.1016/S0168-1591(03)00059-5 (2003).
24 Rodríguez, P. et al. Assessment of unconsciousness during carbon dioxide
stunning in pigs. Animal Welfare 17, 341-349 (2008).
25 Martoft, L. et al. Effects of CO2 anaesthesia on central nervous system activity
in swine. Laboratory Animals 36, 115-126, doi:10.1258/0023677021912398
(2002).
26 Singer, P. Animal Liberation. (2010).
27 Francione, G. One right for all. The New Scientist (2005).

derechoanimal.info Agosto 2017 8