Happy pigs make better bacon sandwiches ... so give them toys

PIGS are being given toys to play with in their pens in farms across the UK - because happier pigs make tastier pork.

Pigs

PIGS are being given toys to play with in their pens - because happier pigs make tastier pork.

On farms across the UK, pigs are being treated to an array of playthings to bite into – including ropes, footballs traffic cones, rubber boots, chains and even rubber hoses hanging down from the ceiling.

One big hit with the pigs has been a plastic gadget known as a Porcichew, which the animals can swing on in circles like children on a roundabout.

The toys are part of a project funded by the British Pig Executive (BPEX) to improve conditions for pigs.

Anxious pigs release more of the stress hormone cortisol, which affects muscles and so the quality of meat. Pork from stressed pigs is paler and softer.

BPEX welfare co-ordinator Dr Nina Wainwright said: "Stressed pigs are likely to start biting tails, and sometimes ears, of other pigs and one of the main causes of stress is a lack of things to bite at."

British pig farmer Meryl Ward said: "If a pig is less stressed you get better-tasting bacon, ham and pork."