Rooting and foraging are fundamental behavioural needs for pigs that are frequently frustrated in commercial systems, causing significant welfare harm.
The frustration of rooting and foraging motivation in barren indoor systems is a primary cause of welfare problems in pigs. Animals deprived of appropriate substrate redirect rooting behaviour onto pen-mates, causing ear and tail biting. Stereotypies including rooting against walls and floors indicate chronic frustration. Providing appropriate manipulable substrates is not a luxury - it is a basic welfare requirement. Higher welfare systems that provide straw, compost or outdoor access deliver measurably better welfare outcomes through satiation of fundamental motivations.