Pain management for pigs undergoing routine procedures and suffering from common diseases is improving but remains inadequate across much of the commercial industry.
Pain management in commercial pig production has improved significantly in recent decades through legislative requirements and welfare codes, but substantial gaps remain between best practice and routine commercial reality. Many routine procedures continue to be performed without adequate analgesia, disease-related pain is frequently unrecognised or treated too late, and cost pressures discourage consistent use of effective pain management products. The welfare case for comprehensive pain management is straightforward: pigs experience pain, pain management is effective and available, and welfare codes requiring its use are achievable at reasonable cost. Building pain management into standard operating procedures rather than treating it as optional is the key cultural shift required.