Providing enrichment to farmed pigs is legally required in the EU and scientifically supported as effective, yet implementation remains poor. Understanding what works and why matters for welfare progress.
Pig enrichment implementation represents a case study in the gap between welfare policy and practice. The science is clear — straw-based enrichment dramatically reduces the principal welfare problem of barren housing (tail biting) and measurably improves behavioral and physiological welfare indicators. The regulation is clear — EU law mandates enrichment provision. Yet compliance remains poor because enforcement is weak and the most compliant solution (straw) requires management effort that many producers avoid by providing token enrichment (hanging chains) that satisfies the letter but not the spirit of requirements. Meaningful welfare improvement requires both better enforcement of existing regulations and consumer pressure for products from farms where enrichment is substantively implemented.