Indoor intensive pig production dominates UK output and has specific welfare challenges requiring systematic improvement across housing, health, and husbandry.
Indoor intensive pig production can achieve reasonable welfare outcomes with appropriate investment in housing design, enrichment, health management, and stockpersonship. However, structural welfare deficits including inability to root in natural substrate, restricted movement in some systems, and social mixing stress are intrinsic to intensive production models. Welfare improvement in indoor systems requires addressing enrichment provision, stocking density, health monitoring, and stockpersonship quality. The best indoor pig producers demonstrate that high welfare and commercial viability are compatible, but achieving this requires genuine commitment and investment.