Positive welfare science for pigs has identified play behaviour, exploration, and affiliative interactions as reliable indicators of good welfare, offering farmers practical tools to assess pig wellbeing.
Positive welfare indicators in pigs give farmers and assessors tools to move beyond merely counting problems toward actively assessing whether pigs are thriving. A pen of pigs where play is frequent, tails are actively wagging, and rooting is vigorous is in a genuinely positive welfare state - one that correlates with better health outcomes, lower stress, and higher productivity. Conversely, a pen where pigs lie inactive for most of the day with tails down is showing subtle welfare deficits that precede overt problems like tail biting. The practical implication for pig farmers is that investing in enrichment, space, and management quality is not charity toward animals but a scientifically grounded route to healthier, more productive livestock.