Tail biting is a severe welfare problem in pigs caused by poor housing conditions and frustration, yet the most common response — tail docking — treats the symptom rather than the cause.
Tail docking inflicts pain on piglets without anaesthesia to address a problem created by inadequate housing. The practice does not eliminate tail biting in docked herds and fails to address the underlying causes. Undocked pigs in well-managed enriched systems have equal or better welfare outcomes than docked pigs in barren systems. The regulatory requirement for individual justification of docking has not prevented widespread routine docking because enforcement is weak. A genuine transition to undocked pigs requires simultaneous improvement of housing and enrichment conditions. The Netherlands experience demonstrates that this transition is commercially viable when producers receive appropriate support. Tail biting prevention through housing improvement is both more ethical and more effective than mutilation management.