Outdoor pig farming offers significant welfare benefits through access to rooting, ranging, and natural behavior, but also creates challenges including weather stress and disease risk.
Outdoor pig farming provides welfare benefits that are difficult to replicate in indoor systems. Pigs with access to outdoor ranges can express the full repertoire of their natural behavior including rooting, foraging, dustbathing, and spatial exploration. Sows can build proper nests before farrowing, improving both welfare and piglet survival. However, outdoor production creates distinct welfare challenges: heat stress in summer, cold and wet conditions in winter, and predation risk for small piglets. Managing these challenges while preserving the welfare advantages of outdoor access requires careful system design including adequate shade, wallowing areas, shelter, and predator-resistant housing for farrowing.