Research on pig enrichment objects reveals that novelty, manipulability, and destructibility are key features that sustain engagement, with important implications for commercial welfare improvement strategies.
Pig enrichment research has moved beyond the question of "does it help?" to "what works, and why?" The answer is clear: pigs are motivated to interact with objects they can manipulate, destroy, and root in. Static objects like chains quickly lose appeal because they offer no consequence to interaction — a pig that cannot change the object through its actions rapidly loses interest. Destructible materials like rope, wood, and hessian engage the pig's investigatory and rooting systems because interaction produces sensory feedback and change. Combining enrichment objects with substrate provision produces the strongest welfare effects. Commercial implementation requires systems thinking — designing slatted-floor housing that can deliver and manage destructible enrichment at scale.