Pigs are highly intelligent animals with cognitive abilities comparable to dogs and young children. Providing adequate mental stimulation is essential for their welfare.
Intensive pig farming systems typically provide barren environments that are entirely inadequate for meeting the cognitive and exploratory needs of highly intelligent animals. The frustration caused by inability to root, forage, explore, and socially interact manifests as aggression, tail and ear biting, and repetitive stereotypic behaviors. Enrichment objects including rooting materials, hanging chains, balls, and foraging opportunities dramatically improve behavioral indicators of welfare. The regulatory minimum of a single chain per pen is widely considered inadequate by animal welfare scientists.