Routine tail docking of piglets — performed to prevent tail biting — is a painful procedure that treats a symptom of poor environments rather than the underlying welfare problem.
Tail docking is a painful procedure performed on millions of piglets each year to address a welfare problem — tail biting — that should not arise in well-managed systems. The logic is circular: barren, overcrowded environments cause tail biting; tail docking prevents the worst consequences of tail biting without addressing the environment that causes it. This represents a systemic welfare failure. The welfare ideal is an environment rich enough in stimulation that tails remain intact. Moving industry toward this standard requires regulatory enforcement, retailer commitment, and farmer support — all of which are possible, as Nordic countries have demonstrated.