Outdoor pig production systems allow pigs to express natural behaviours including rooting, wallowing and social interaction, providing significant welfare advantages over indoor systems.
Outdoor pigs generally demonstrate better welfare outcomes for natural behaviour expression, with lower levels of redirected behaviours like tail biting. However, outdoor systems present challenges in extreme weather - heat stress in summer and cold wet conditions in winter can cause welfare problems. Parasite burdens may be higher and protection from predators requires management.