Revealed: Farmyard pigs unhappy in mud

IT MAY be said that pigs are proverbially happy in mud, but does anyone really know for sure? The answer to that and much more about our porcine friends could soon be revealed by a psychologist who has been given a pounds 5,000 grant to study the behaviour of pigs.

Ian Horrell, who is based at the University of Hull, was given the grant by the university's Foundation for Animal Welfare, to find out why pigs chew stones or stamp their hooves repeatedly. Dr Horrell, who keeps wild boars as pets, said he thought it was because the animals were bored and has set up the study to investigate.

"People who care about the welfare of animals are concerned that they sometimes stand for hours on end just chewing stones.

"Whether they are tethered up inside or kept in a big field, they display these worrying signs that they are not happy and I believe the reason they chew stones could be because they are bored and have nothing else to do," he said.

He believes the animals may need to be kept in a more stimulating environment. Ten years ago most pigs were housed in concrete blocks with a little straw but farmers realised they were not happy and moved them on to open land.

But Dr Horrell does not believe that this is necessarily the way to a pig's heart. "People assume that the more natural the conditions in which pigs are kept, the better it is for their welfare and so outdoor pigs must be happier," he said.

"But it's not necessarily the case that piglets struggling in the mud, snow and cold of January or wilting under the summer heat are better off than those in thermostatically controlled indoor environments. Perhaps through our studies we'll discover the best conditions in which to keep them."

All of which begs the question: are clams really happy at high tide?