Novelty and Exploration as Welfare Indicators in Pigs

The response of pigs to novel objects and environments provides a validated, practical welfare assessment tool that can be applied on-farm without specialist equipment.

Key Facts

The Novel Object Test measures pig fearfulness by timing approach and contact with an unfamiliar object placed in the pen — braver pigs approach faster
Pigs in enriched environments show faster novel object approach times, indicating more positive emotional states and lower baseline fearfulness
The Novel Environment Test introduces pigs to an unfamiliar space and measures exploration versus freezing behaviour
Emotional state measured by novel object approach predicts other welfare indicators including play frequency, cortisol and immune function
A single observer can administer a novel object test in under 5 minutes per pen, making it a practical on-farm welfare monitoring tool
Research farms using novel object tests as welfare monitoring tools have used results to improve enrichment protocols and reduce fearfulness across flocks

Welfare Considerations

The novel object and environment tests represent an elegant solution to a difficult practical problem: how do you assess the emotional state of pigs on farm without invasive sampling or specialist equipment? The insight is that emotional state influences how an animal responds to novelty — curious, positively-valenced pigs explore; fearful, negatively-valenced pigs avoid. This relationship is robust enough to be validated as a welfare indicator. Implementing these tests routinely on pig farms provides farmers with actionable welfare data that tells them whether their current management is producing positive or negative emotional states — and whether enrichment or management changes have the intended effect.

What You Can Do

Support farm welfare certification that includes behavioural welfare indicators such as novel object approach tests in their auditing protocols
Encourage pig farmers to conduct quarterly novel object assessments as a welfare monitoring practice
Advocate for behavioural welfare indicators to be included in national codes of practice for pig farming alongside physical health measures
Share resources on practical on-farm pig welfare assessment with farmers, vets and agricultural advisors in your network
Support research into cost-effective welfare monitoring tools that can be used routinely by commercial pig producers