Decades of research have identified practical enrichment strategies for pigs that reduce harmful behaviors and improve welfare in commercial settings.
Pig enrichment research has moved from asking whether enrichment matters to identifying what specifically works in commercial systems where cost and practicality constrain options. The evidence is clear: manipulable, destructible, organic materials that engage rooting behavior are most effective. Straw provides multiple elements of effective enrichment - it can be rooted through, consumed, and its provision is constantly renewed by normal pig behavior. A pile of straw in a pen is qualitatively different from a hanging chain in a barren concrete pen. The EU requirement for enrichment is an important baseline, but the quality of enrichment provision varies enormously between farms and between member states in implementation and enforcement. Research continues into cost-effective enrichment approaches that can be practically scaled in commercial systems, including automated dispensing of chopped straw and rotating item provision protocols that maintain novelty.