Given that pigs possess cognitive abilities comparable to primates and young children, including self-awareness, social

Question: Given that pigs possess cognitive abilities comparable to primates and young children, including self-awareness, social complexity, and the ability to play video games, how should this evidence redefine their treatment in agriculture and biomedical research?
- Keywords:
  animal research,
  animal testing,
  evidence,
  pig,
  policy,
  psychology,
  treatment
Asked by aero532thro44 on 12 Mar 2026.
- Carly Bingham answered on 12 Mar 2026:
  
  The UK government has recently (Nov 2025) announced plans aiming to reduce use of animal testing which you can read more about here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/animal-testing-to-be-phased-out-faster-as-uk-unveils-roadmap-for-alternative-methods
  
  I don’t know a lot about agriculture unfortunately and I’d probably need to do a lot of reading to understand for myself the impact of this – it’s a really important skill in science to be able to re-evaluate what you think after looking at the evidence!

Question: Given that pigs possess cognitive abilities comparable to primates and young children, including self-awareness, social complexity, and the ability to play video games, how should this evidence redefine their treatment in agriculture and biomedical research?