Outdoor pig farming allows expression of natural behaviours but also presents specific welfare challenges requiring active management.
Outdoor pig systems represent a genuine welfare advance over most indoor systems for the behaviours they enable. Pigs can express rooting, foraging, and social behaviours that are fundamentally denied to them in barren indoor environments. However, outdoor systems can underperform on disease management, shelter quality in extreme weather, and parasite control. Good outdoor pig welfare requires active management, not just absence of confinement. Certification schemes help identify well-managed outdoor producers.