The study examines the trade-offs among four major externality costs in pig production systems, including land use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, antimicrobial use (AMU), and animal welfare. Data from UK and Brazilian pig production systems, ranging from intensive indoor to extensive free-range and organic systems, were analyzed to explore the co-variation among these costs. The findings suggest that no specific farming type consistently performs well across all domains. Systems with low land use typically have low GHG emissions but high AMU and poor animal welfare, while systems with high land use have high GHG emissions but lower AMU and better animal welfare. Some systems, however, performed well in all domains, indicating that trade-offs may be avoidable if mitigation efforts focus on reducing impacts within system types rather than simply changing farming types. The study highlights the importance of considering individual farms and identifying those that limit externality costs across multiple outcomes to promote more sustainable practices.The study examines the trade-offs among four major externality costs in pig production systems, including land use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, antimicrobial use (AMU), and animal welfare. Data from UK and Brazilian pig production systems, ranging from intensive indoor to extensive free-range and organic systems, were analyzed to explore the co-variation among these costs. The findings suggest that no specific farming type consistently performs well across all domains. Systems with low land use typically have low GHG emissions but high AMU and poor animal welfare, while systems with high land use have high GHG emissions but lower AMU and better animal welfare. Some systems, however, performed well in all domains, indicating that trade-offs may be avoidable if mitigation efforts focus on reducing impacts within system types rather than simply changing farming types. The study highlights the importance of considering individual farms and identifying those that limit externality costs across multiple outcomes to promote more sustainable practices.