Outdoor pig systems provide significant welfare benefits through access to rooting substrate and natural behaviours, but also present distinctive challenges requiring careful management.
Outdoor pigs that can root freely, wallow in mud, and express natural social behaviour have substantially better welfare than confined indoor pigs. The challenges of outdoor systems including weather extremes, parasitism, and environmental management are real but manageable with skilled stockmanship. System welfare depends critically on stocking density, shelter provision, and willingness to move pigs when land becomes degraded.