Outdoor pig systems that allow rooting and foraging deliver significantly better welfare outcomes than indoor systems, despite higher production costs and environmental trade-offs.
Outdoor pig systems represent a qualitative welfare improvement over conventional indoor systems because they permit the expression of the behaviours pigs are most strongly motivated to perform: rooting, foraging, exploring, and wallowing. These are not merely preferences but reflect deeply ingrained behavioural needs. Pigs in outdoor systems consistently show positive welfare indicators including play and affiliative behaviour at higher rates than indoor counterparts.