Pigs are among the most cognitively complex farm animals and their welfare is significantly enhanced by access to environmental enrichment that allows exploration, rooting, and play behaviours.
Pigs naturally spend up to 75% of their active time foraging, rooting, and exploring. Barren housing systems that deny these behaviours cause chronic frustration, stereotypic behaviour, and redirected aggression including tail biting. While EU legislation mandates enrichment provision, compliance and enrichment quality are highly variable. Materials that allow rooting, manipulation, and gradual destruction - such as straw, compost, or hanging root vegetables - provide far superior enrichment to fixed objects. Positive engagement with enrichment is an important positive welfare indicator.