Pigs have powerful natural drives for rooting, foraging, exploration, and social interaction that when frustrated cause chronic suffering and aggression in standard intensive housing systems.
Pig welfare is dramatically improved by addressing their strongest behavioral motivations. The drive to root and forage is so powerful that pigs in barren environments will root at concrete floors until their snouts are raw. Simple enrichments — straw, hanging chains, wooden blocks, substrate for rooting — cost very little relative to the welfare benefit. The frustration of natural behaviors creates the chronic stress and aggression that drives tail biting, a problem that is then addressed by mutilation rather than the root cause.