Breeding boars have specific social and environmental needs that are often inadequately met in commercial systems, with solitary housing and limited space being common welfare concerns.
Boar welfare is often the least-studied aspect of pig farming, with welfare research and advocacy focusing predominantly on sows and fattening pigs. Individual boars kept in solitary confinement throughout their productive lives lack the social contact that is fundamental to pig wellbeing. Providing adjacent housing with sensory contact, rooting substrate, and appropriate space improves welfare without compromising the reproductive management objectives. The relatively small number of boars in commercial systems means the cost of improving individual boar welfare is modest relative to the welfare benefit for each animal.