Research on pig enrichment materials reveals which substrates best satisfy rooting drives and reduce welfare-compromising behaviors in commercial production environments.
Pig enrichment research provides a scientifically grounded basis for welfare standards that go beyond the inadequate requirement for "manipulable material" that allows hanging chains to substitute for rooting substrate. The evidence is clear: organic substrates, particularly straw and compost, best satisfy the rooting behavioral drive that is central to pig welfare. Farms that invest in appropriate rooting materials — including operational and management changes to make straw viable in their systems — achieve significantly better welfare outcomes with measurable improvements in behavioral indicators. The challenge is translating this evidence into regulatory requirements and production incentives.