Pigs have a strong behavioural drive to root and explore. Providing appropriate materials for rooting is one of the most important and cost-effective welfare improvements in pig production.
Rooting and foraging are among the most time-consuming activities for wild pigs, occupying many hours per day. In intensive systems without enrichment, this drive is frustrated entirely, leading to redirected behaviour — tail biting, ear biting, and bar chewing — that causes injuries to pen mates and chronic stress in all animals involved. Enrichment materials need not be expensive: straw, paper, and hanging objects can all reduce problem behaviours. The key is providing sufficient quantity, appropriate novelty, and ensuring materials are genuinely manipulable rather than quickly exhausted. Farmers who provide good enrichment consistently report reduced tail biting and improved performance, making the welfare and commercial cases strongly aligned.