Rooting and manipulable substrate are among the highest-priority welfare needs for pigs, and their provision is foundational to good welfare.
Rooting substrate provision is the single most impactful welfare intervention for pigs in intensive settings. Without appropriate substrate, pigs redirect rooting motivation toward pen fixtures, flooring and pen mates — causing injurious behavior. The provision of deep, compressible litter that pigs can actually root in transforms the behavioral repertoire of housed pigs, reducing stress and abnormal behaviors dramatically.