Scientific research on pig enrichment has advanced dramatically, demonstrating that simple, inexpensive materials dramatically improve welfare — yet implementation across commercial farming remains patchy.
Pig enrichment science offers one of the clearest examples in animal welfare where knowledge has outpaced practice. We know with high confidence that pigs in barren concrete pens suffer from behavioral frustration. We know that straw, root vegetables, and hanging objects dramatically reduce this suffering at minimal cost. And yet the majority of commercially farmed pigs globally still live in barren conditions. The gap between what science knows and what farms do reflects regulatory failure, enforcement gaps, and the persistent prioritization of production cost over animal wellbeing.