The type of flooring used in pig farming has major welfare implications, with fully slatted concrete floors associated with higher rates of lameness, injuries, and behavioral frustration compared to bedded alternatives.
Slatted concrete floors create chronic welfare problems for pigs. Their feet and legs are not adapted to the hard, unyielding surface, leading to joint inflammation, hoof lesions, and lameness that causes daily pain. Pigs cannot express natural rooting and nesting behaviors on bare concrete, leading to frustration and redirected behaviors including aggression toward pen-mates. Injuries from slatted floors - where hooves become trapped - cause acute pain and sometimes fractures. The EU's gradual move away from fully slatted systems represents recognition of these welfare costs, but implementation timelines remain slow and the US has no equivalent standard.