Scientific evidence on the welfare benefits of outdoor access for pigs demonstrates consistent improvements across multiple welfare indicators compared to indoor confinement systems.
The scientific case for outdoor pig access as a welfare improvement is robust across multiple indicators. Studies consistently show that outdoor-reared pigs express more natural behavioral repertoires, have lower stress indicators and show better health outcomes in multiple dimensions. The welfare improvements result from multiple interacting factors — substrate complexity satisfying rooting motivation, space reducing competitive aggression, environmental novelty providing cognitive stimulation, and physical benefits from natural light and variable terrain. The challenge for the industry is translating this welfare evidence into accessible production systems at commercial scale without compromising the health management advantages of indoor systems.