Providing environmental enrichment for pigs is one of the most evidence-based and cost-effective ways to improve their welfare in commercial production settings.
Pigs in barren environments experience chronic boredom and frustration as they are prevented from performing motivated natural behaviors like rooting, exploration, and foraging. This behavioral deprivation constitutes a form of psychological suffering that expresses itself in harmful redirected behaviors. The evidence base for pig enrichment is among the strongest in farm animal welfare science, making enrichment provision a clear and achievable welfare improvement that is within reach for most producers.