Boars used in breeding programmes face specific welfare challenges including isolation, housing restrictions, and over-use. Good boar welfare management improves reproductive performance and animal welfare simultaneously.
Breeding boars face a welfare paradox: their aggressive nature prevents social housing but isolation is psychologically stressful for a social species. Creative solutions including visual and olfactory contact with neighbouring pigs, environmental enrichment, and adequate space for rooting and exploration address isolation welfare without the injury risk of group housing.