Straw provision is the most effective enrichment for pigs but its adoption in commercial systems faces practical challenges that can be addressed with appropriate investment and management.
Straw provides pigs with what they need most: material to root, investigate, turn over and nest in, satisfying the strongest behavioral drives of a species whose wild ancestor spent half its active time foraging and rooting in leaf litter. The welfare case for straw is overwhelmingly strong and well-documented. The barriers to widespread adoption are practical and economic rather than welfare-related — slurry handling complexity, cost, and building design. Investment support for slurry management infrastructure, combined with welfare certification premiums that make straw-bedded pork economically viable, is the pathway to widespread adoption. Consumer willingness to pay for certified straw-bedded pork creates the market incentive needed.