Researchers from Belgium are verifying the claims of a farmer who claims that different music genres affect the behavior of his pigs, Reuters reports.

Pete Paesmans says he first noticed the phenomenon when his son started singing a song during an insemination procedure that was going badly, and the pigs got excited and started wagging their tails.

“I thought it was too cool to pass up and we should try it with other pigs,” Pacemans told Reuters in an interview from his farm halfway between the capital Brussels and the border with the Netherlands.

The farmer says he later created a playlist for the animals that coincided with different parts of the day, playing upbeat music for the animals when he wanted them active and lullabies at the end of the day.

“Upbeat dance tunes are the biggest hits. They start wagging their tails when they are very active and even start dancing and frolicking. Rock music is too loud, they don’t like it,” says Pacemans.

How Belgian researchers came to investigate the farmer’s claims

The farmer presented his findings to a group of scientists in Belgium and managed to get a grant of 75,000 euros from the European Union and the regional government of Flanders.

Sander Palmans, coordinator of the research team, says that little is known about the pigs’ response to music, but the farmer’s testimony is in line with current general knowledge about the effects of sounds on animals.

“Undoubtedly, specific sounds affect animals. So there is a real possibility that music has the same effect,” says the researcher, adding that music can relieve the stress experienced by pigs.

The researcher also claims that the results of the study could have a significant impact on the livestock industry, as the quality of the meat is affected by the stress they experience.

“The best athlete must be fully prepared both physically and mentally. The same goes for pigs. You can see that they went through a lot of stress after they were slaughtered… This is very important for the quality of the meat,” he explains.

The researchers plan to present the results of their study by the end of this year.