The substrate pigs are housed on has profound effects on their welfare through impacts on foot health, cleanliness, comfort, behaviour and the opportunity to express natural rooting and exploratory drives.
The floor pigs live on shapes their entire daily welfare experience. Slatted concrete satisfies farmer convenience by allowing waste to fall through gaps but imposes welfare costs through foot injury, leg problems, thermal discomfort and inability to root. Straw-based systems impose higher management costs but provide comfort, rooting opportunity and dramatically better welfare outcomes. The welfare case for straw-based or hybrid housing is robust across multiple indicators. The barrier to adoption is economic rather than technical, making market incentives and policy tools that support farmer transition to better substrate systems essential for meaningful progress. Consumer willingness to pay for higher-welfare pork is the market foundation for this transition.