Pigs are highly intelligent animals whose behavioral needs for exploration and play are rarely met in commercial farming. Enrichment provision is both a welfare necessity and a legal requirement in many jurisdictions.
Pigs deprived of enrichment in barren environments redirect natural foraging and exploratory behaviors toward pen-mates, causing tail biting, ear biting, and flank attacks. These behaviors cause pain, injury, and chronic stress in victims. Providing straw bedding effectively addresses multiple behavioral needs simultaneously and is the most evidence-supported enrichment for pigs. Compliance with enrichment requirements in EU systems remains patchy — chains and rubber toys without straw provide some stimulation but fail to meet the full behavioral need for rootable, destructible material.