Providing appropriate manipulable enrichment materials is legally required for pigs in the EU and is one of the most effective interventions for reducing tail biting, aggression, and stereotypic behaviour.
The enrichment provision requirement exists because pigs in barren environments develop severe behavioural pathologies — tail biting, stereotypies, aggression — that cause real suffering. Providing appropriate enrichment is therefore not a luxury but a prerequisite for basic pig welfare. The gap between legal requirement and farm reality in many countries represents a systematic welfare failure affecting millions of pigs. The economic and practical barriers to enrichment provision — particularly the challenge of straw compatibility with fully slatted systems — are real but not insurmountable. System redesign, including partially slatted floors with a straw-bedded resting area, can deliver both enrichment and efficient manure management. Consumer demand for certified products and regulatory enforcement are the primary levers for closing the compliance gap.