Providing pigs with permanent access to manipulable enrichment materials reduces harmful behaviours and improves welfare outcomes on commercial farms.
Pigs deprived of enrichment material are unable to express highly motivated natural behaviours including rooting, chewing, and exploration. Frustration of these drives contributes to redirected behaviours including tail and ear biting that cause significant injury to pen-mates. The evidence for enrichment benefits is strong: farms providing adequate permanent enrichment have lower rates of tail biting, lower medication use, and better overall welfare outcomes than those providing minimal or no enrichment.