Pain Recognition in Pigs: Tools and Best Practice

Pigs are stoic animals that mask signs of pain, making accurate pain assessment challenging. Validated tools now enable farmers and vets to identify pain and guide treatment decisions.

Key Facts

The Porcine Pain Scale provides validated pain assessment for post-operative and acute pain
Pigs under chronic pain show reduced activity, changed posture, and abnormal social behaviour
Lameness in pigs is often under-recognised and under-treated compared to dairy cattle
Castration and tail docking without anaesthesia cause acute pain measurable by vocalisations and cortisol
Pigs with chronic pain show pessimistic cognitive biases in validated judgement bias tests

Welfare Considerations

Pain in pigs is systematically under-treated partly because pigs mask pain as a prey species defence mechanism, and partly because the economic incentive to provide pain relief is lower than in high-value companion animals. Validated pain tools provide the objective evidence needed to trigger treatment decisions. Identifying chronic pain in individual pigs within large commercial groups is particularly challenging — pigs that withdraw from social interaction or show altered posture within a group require individual assessment. Training farm staff in pain recognition and providing protocols for proactive pain management are the key interventions.

What You Can Do

Support assurance schemes that require pain assessment protocols and adequate analgesia
Donate to pig pain research developing new assessment tools and treatment guidelines
Advocate for mandatory pain relief requirements for all husbandry procedures in pigs
Engage with your pig vet about implementing validated pain scoring in routine health visits
Choose pork from producers committed to pain management transparency in their welfare standards