A career in farm animal welfare

Check out Jan’s top tips for working with pigs

Jan Queen is one of our assessors, specialising in pigs. She spends her days visiting our member farms in the north of England to make sure they’re meeting all the higher welfare standards set by the RSPCA. Here she tells us what she loves about working with pigs, and how a career in farmed animal welfare can take you to unexpected places.

Prepare for the unexpected

I start each day with a clear plan, and aim to visit three farms a day if I can. But working with pigs means that anything can happen - they’re very sociable creatures, so it’s likely that a farm visit will take much longer if they want to meet you.

They’re very intelligent and interested in what’s going on. Seeing them on higher welfare farms is such a treat - there is nothing like seeing pigs rooting around in their bedding or enjoying the outdoors with space to roam and be themselves.

Be compassionate to people as well as animals

Highly intensive farming is a big concern for animal welfare, so at RSPCA Assured, we want to help farmers choose higher welfare farming instead. That’s why it’s really important to me that farmers on the ground feel as supported and encouraged as possible. Our members have taken a big step in deciding to rear their animals to RSPCA standards, so I want to do everything I can to help them.

It means being compassionate, listening and being aware of the challenges they may be facing. You never know what’s going on in people’s lives, and I keep that in my mind all the time. At the end of the day, we’re all working together for higher welfare and empathy is really important in my job.

Adapt to a changing world

We know our environment is changing, and that affects animals just as much as people. You need to keep up with new challenges and constantly adapt. Today, biosecurity is a big one, with infectious diseases like avian flu posing a risk to bird health. I always make sure my car is stocked with disinfectant and protective equipment, and keep up to date with all the latest advice on disease control.

Adapting to a changing world is also about helping the public understand the challenges we face today in protecting animal welfare. In farming, this means encouraging people away from highly intensive, lower-welfare products and towards higher welfare products. With meat, fish, dairy and eggs, it’s all about eating fewer lower-welfare products, and when you do eat animal products, eating better higher-welfare products.

Get used to mud!

It goes without saying that mud is part of the job description when you’re working with pigs! In fact, mud is really important for pigs, and they have a natural instinct to wallow in it. It keeps them cool in hot weather and allows them to express their natural behaviour.

Fortunately, the UK is normally in no short supply of mud - at least in the winter - which is good news for pigs on RSPCA Assured member farms. But it does mean I spend a large chunk of my time washing mud off my car tyres - and don’t even mention the state of my wellies!

Keep an open mind

I was raised on a farm, so it’s in my blood, but I didn’t necessarily want to go into farming myself. I soon realised that I was just as interested in people as I was animals, so I became a lecturer at an agricultural college, teaching the next generation of farmers.

Part of the curriculum that I really loved teaching was the five welfare needs of animals, and I could see the students were really keen on learning about improving welfare in farming. It led me to RSPCA Assured, and when a job opening came up as an assessor I jumped at the chance.