Pigs are highly intelligent, social animals whose behavioral needs are routinely frustrated in intensive farming systems, causing significant and well-documented welfare harm.
The behavioral needs of pigs are among the best-documented in farm animal welfare science. Pigs need to root, explore, and socialize. When these needs are frustrated — by concrete floors, barren pens, and high density — they redirect behaviors toward pen mates, causing tail biting and ear injuries. The most effective interventions are structural: providing rooting substrate such as straw or compost, reducing stocking density, and eliminating routine tail docking by improving the environment rather than removing the tail. Welfare certification schemes requiring rooting substrate show significant reductions in injuries.