Farm Animals

Pig Outdoor Foraging Natural Behaviour

Outdoor pigs have opportunities to express natural foraging and rooting behaviours that are highly valued by the animals themselves and strongly linked to positive welfare states.

Key Facts

Pigs in outdoor systems spend 3-5 hours daily engaged in rooting and foraging when not ringed
Natural rooting satisfies a deep motivational drive and is rewarding in behavioural economic terms
Outdoor pigs show lower tail biting, stereotypy and aggression rates than indoor-housed contemporaries
Pasture rotation prevents both welfare and environmental problems from over-rooting
UK outdoor pig production accounts for around 35% of sow breeding stock but only a fraction of finishing

Welfare Considerations

Outdoor access to root and forage represents the fullest expression of natural pig behaviour and produces measurably better welfare outcomes. Supporting outdoor systems makes a real welfare difference.

What You Can Do

Choose outdoor-reared pork and bacon where available and affordable
Visit a free-range pig farm to understand the welfare difference first-hand
Support policy changes that increase outdoor and higher-welfare pig production in the UK