Tail biting in pigs is a serious welfare emergency that is almost entirely preventable through appropriate management; investigating and addressing the underlying causes is more welfare-effective than tail docking.
Tail biting causes intense pain, blood loss, and in severe cases evisceration of affected pigs. The cascade from initial tail manipulation to full outbreak can occur within hours once blood is drawn, due to the attraction of blood to other pigs. The management factors that drive tail biting — boredom, overcrowding, nutritional stress, temperature discomfort — are addressable without tail docking. High-welfare systems demonstrate that tail biting management is achievable without prophylactic mutilation.