Pigs are highly intelligent and motivated animals with complex behavioural needs. Outdoor access and enrichment provision dramatically improve their welfare in commercial systems.
Pigs confined in barren concrete environments with no manipulable material suffer chronic boredom and frustration that manifests as tail biting, bar chewing and other harmful behaviours. The motivational drive to root is so strong that pigs in barren systems will perform up to 22 times more rooting behaviour when given access to a substrate, demonstrating the level of deprivation experienced without it. Environmental enrichment addresses this welfare deficit but must be novel, manipulable and regularly replaced to maintain engagement. Outdoor systems where pigs can root in soil and express species-appropriate behaviour represent the highest welfare standard for production pigs.