Developing reliable pain assessment tools for pigs is essential for improving welfare in farm settings where millions of animals may be suffering from undetected conditions including lameness, injury, and post-operative pain.
Pain assessment in pigs is a genuine scientific challenge that has welfare implications for millions of animals. Unlike companion animals where owner-veterinarian relationships allow observation and communication, farm pigs must communicate pain through behavioral indicators that require trained observers or automated detection to interpret reliably. Validated, practical pain assessment tools for farm settings would enable earlier intervention, more consistent welfare monitoring, and better evidence for regulatory standards. The development of pig-specific grimace scales and automated behavioral monitoring represents welfare science translating directly into improved outcomes at commercial scale.