Pig welfare has moved beyond preventing negative experiences toward actively promoting positive ones. Enriched environments that allow play, exploration, and social bonding produce measurably better pig welfare.
Positive welfare for pigs represents an aspirational target that goes beyond compliance with minimum standards. Research has established that pigs in enriched environments show measurable improvements across multiple welfare dimensions: more positive social behaviour, less aggression and fearfulness, higher activity levels, and improved growth performance. The concept of positive affect — pigs experiencing pleasure, curiosity, and satisfaction — is now supported by a substantial evidence base. Providing rooting substrates satisfies a fundamental behavioural need; without it, pigs redirect rooting to pen-mates causing tail and ear injuries. Outdoor access or deep straw housing provides the most comprehensive positive welfare environments. High-welfare pig farming demonstrates that positive welfare is compatible with commercial production and can be achieved at scale with appropriate infrastructure investment.