Tail biting is a serious welfare problem in intensive pig production causing pain, infection, and death. Addressing environmental root causes is more effective and more humane than tail docking.
Tail biting represents a failure of the housing system, not an inevitable feature of pig production. Pigs engage in tail biting because they are frustrated, understimulated, or nutritionally deficient — it is redirected exploratory and rooting behaviour. The welfare harm is severe: victims experience acute pain, chronic infection, spinal abscesses, and death. Docking reduces the target tissue but does not address the underlying motivation — docked pigs still engage in ear biting and flank biting. The Scandinavian model demonstrates that intact-tail production is achievable with appropriate management. Legislation and retailer standards must drive adoption of root cause management approaches over the mutilation shortcut.