Outdoor finishing systems offer pigs access to natural rooting behaviour but require careful management to prevent welfare problems from weather, disease, and social conflict.
Outdoor finishing can represent genuine welfare improvement for pigs compared to indoor systems, but only when managed well. Poorly managed outdoor systems with inadequate shelter, excessive stocking density, and poor drainage create conditions of chronic discomfort from heat, cold, mud, and social conflict. The welfare potential of outdoor systems is realised through stockperson skill and infrastructure investment, not simply by removing pigs from buildings.