Providing effective enrichment materials for pigs addresses their strong rooting and foraging motivation. Research identifies which materials best meet pig behavioural needs.
The rooting motivation in pigs is one of the strongest and most persistent in any farm animal species. Pigs will root at hard concrete surfaces for hours when denied appropriate substrate, indicating the depth of this behavioural need. Research consistently shows that manipulable organic materials — straw, hay, compost, and soil — provide far greater welfare benefit than hanging toys or fixed objects. Pigs spend significantly more time engaged with good enrichment, show reduced aggression and redirected oral behaviour, and have lower cortisol levels. The transition from slatted concrete systems to those incorporating straw is one of the most welfare-impactful changes possible in pig farming. EU enrichment regulations have driven improvement but enforcement and material quality vary.