Housing design that enables positive welfare — not just avoids harm — provides space for play, foraging, and social interaction that improves pig quality of life and produces measurable welfare indicators.
Positive welfare housing for pigs reflects the emerging understanding that genuine welfare means more than preventing suffering — it means enabling positive experiences. Pigs in well-designed housing with adequate space, enrichment, and social stability show playful behaviour, exploratory activity, and relaxed resting postures that indicate positive affective states. These positive welfare indicators are measurable and should be included in welfare assessment frameworks alongside conventional deficit measures.