Play is a reliable positive welfare indicator in pigs. When pigs play, it signals good welfare; when play is absent in young pigs, it signals welfare problems requiring investigation.
Pig play behavior is one of the clearest welfare indicators available to farmers and welfare assessors. The presence of vigorous play in young pigs signals positive affect and good welfare conditions. Its absence — particularly in young piglets who are highly motivated to play — is a reliable red flag for welfare problems including overcrowding, cold stress, nutritional deficiency, or social disruption. Providing space for locomotor play and objects for object play are simple, cost-effective enrichment strategies that improve welfare and reduce damaging behaviors. Farming systems that provide space and enrichment enabling play generate measurable welfare benefits alongside reduced veterinary costs from injury and disease.