Colorado State University Easy Ways to Improve Welfare and Productivity Temple Grandin, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado Studies by the Australian scientist Paul Hemsworth have shown that pigs that are fearful around their handlers will gain less weight and have lower reproductive rates.
Animals have excellent memories for bad experiences.
Pigs were most productive on farms where they had lots of contact with people. Fearful pigs which were slapped or hit had lower productivity. Dr. Hemsworth's research has shown that kindness makes a farm more profitable. People should enter animal pens every day and walk through. This trains the animals to tolerate people and it will reduce stress when the animals are transported.