Intensive pig farming concentrates millions of pigs in barren environments that prevent expression of natural behaviours, generating a range of preventable welfare problems.
Intensive pig farming provides the context for a cascade of preventable welfare problems. Barren environments deny pigs the exploration and rooting that are among their most motivated behaviours. Social groups that are too large and frequently mixed cause chronic aggression. The absence of bedding means pigs have no substrate for nesting, rooting, or comfortable lying. These deprivations manifest as tail biting, aggression, and stereotypic behaviour that indicate significant animal suffering. The improvements available — straw bedding, lower stocking density, improved enrichment, stable social groups — are all feasible and are demonstrated in higher-welfare certified farms, but cost more and require consumer and policy support to scale.