Scientific research on pig enrichment has identified key features of effective enrichment that reduce aggression, stereotypies, and chronic stress — with practical implications for farm implementation worldwide.
Pigs are highly intelligent, curious animals with strong motivations to explore and root — motivations that intensive housing systems systematically frustrate. Tail biting, the most serious consequence of environmental deprivation, causes pain, secondary infection, and sometimes death. The practice of routine tail docking, used to prevent biting injuries, is itself a painful procedure that addresses the symptom rather than the cause. Research clearly shows that providing adequate rooting substrates and manipulable materials dramatically reduces tail biting and tail docking rates. The economic case for enrichment is increasingly compelling as tail biting causes significant production losses that effective enrichment prevents.