The owner of a pig farm claims that different styles of music affect the behavior of the animals. Piet Paesmans first observed the phenomenon when his son started singing a tune during an insemination session in which his sows seemed excited and started wagging their tails.
“I thought this was too good to pass up, we should try it with the other pigs as well,” Paesmans told Reuters from his farm, halfway between Brussels and the Dutch border.
Since then, he has created a playlist that matches the different stages of the day, playing energetic music when he wants the pigs to be active and lullabies at the end of the day.
“Upbeat songs are the most successful. They start wagging their tail and when it’s very dynamic, they even start romping around. Rock music is too loud, they don’t like it,” Paesmans said.
The farmer tipped off a team of investigators who have secured 75,000 euros ($76,770) in funding from an EU fund and the Belgian region of Flanders to investigate the claims.
According to project coordinator Sander Palmans, not much is known about pigs’ reaction to music, but Paesmans’s experience is consistent with what is known about the effects of sounds in general on animals.
“There is no doubt that there is an effect of specific noises in animals. So it is very possible that music has the same effect,” he said, adding that it could help relieve boredom, which has been linked to stress.
According to Paesmans, the results could have practical repercussions for the industry, since the quality of meat is affected by the stress of the animals.
“An elite athlete must be in top physical shape, but also mentally. And the same goes for pigs. When they are slaughtered, you can see when they have had too much stress (…). It is very important for the quality of the meat”.
The results of the investigation are expected by the end of the year.
