Who really controls animal welfare?
LSE Research Fellow Steven McCulloch discusses the current state of pig farming for the video series "LSE Future Proof". The video is now available online.
Across the UK and beyond, public polling consistently shows that people do not want pigs confined in cages so small they cannot turn around. Yet gestation crates and intensive housing systems remain widespread and the veterinary profession, often seen as the last line of defence for animal welfare, doesn't seem to be protecting the welfare of pigs they are sworn to protect. In this film Steven McCulloch investigates the gap between animal welfare law, public opinion, and on-the-ground reality in pig farming. He asks: who is setting the standards, who is enforcing them and whose interests do they really serve? Drawing on expert testimony, LSE researchers examine how the frameworks meant to protect pigs are shaped by the very commercial forces that profit from intensive farming practices.