Pigs with outdoor access exhibit more diverse natural behaviors, lower stress, and higher positive welfare indicators than their indoor-confined counterparts.
Outdoor access transforms pig behavioral welfare - pigs in natural environments perform rooting, exploration, wallowing, and social behaviors that are impossible or severely restricted indoors. The reduction in tail biting, stereotypies, and aggression in outdoor systems compared to barren indoor systems reflects genuinely better emotional states. While outdoor systems carry some welfare risks (weather extremes, predation), well-managed outdoor production provides welfare benefits that cannot be fully replicated indoors regardless of enrichment provision.