Tail biting is a major welfare problem in intensive pig production. Prevention through enrichment, management, and early detection is more effective than reactive treatment.
Tail biting prevention requires addressing the multifactorial causes including enrichment deprivation, overcrowding, and disease rather than relying on docking. Monitoring pigs daily for early signs including tail wounds or blood and removing victims to recovery pens prevents escalation from an isolated case to a flock outbreak. Straw provision is the single most effective preventive enrichment. Investigating and resolving underlying management causes during outbreak investigation prevents recurrence. Farms maintaining pigs with intact tails and low tail biting rates through management demonstrate that docking is not an inevitable necessity.