The quality of the meat we buy is influenced by an endless number of factors, and the animal’s stress levels are no exception. Scientists from the Agri-food Research and Technology Institute (IRTA) are conducting a study to determine how the emotional state of the pig affects its wellbeing, both on the farm and at the slaughterhouse, and therefore the quality of the ham produced. The project, titled “Markers and Animal Emotion” or ANEMONA, conducts various physiological analyses and animal behaviour studies to obtain the necessary information for establishing a relationship between the pig’s wellbeing and the quality of the end product. “In previous research we noticed that the pig’s emotional state can modify biochemical and cellular parameters of the animal’s organism, which can in turn be used as stress markers,” states the project’s manager, Dr Antonio Valverde. “The current project seeks to go further and assess the affect of gender, genotype and handling conditions on the…