The ability to recognise pain in livestock is essential for welfare, yet stockperson training and validated assessment tools remain inconsistently applied across the industry.
Recognising pain in animals who cannot communicate it verbally is a skill that requires training, validated tools and a professional culture that treats animal pain as a clinical priority. The development of grimace scales for major farmed species has removed the technical barrier to pain recognition — what remains is the cultural and institutional barrier of applying these tools routinely. Stockpeople who can recognise and respond to pain are not just better welfare practitioners; they are better farmers, because pain reduces production. Mandatory pain recognition training for stockpeople, routine analgesic provision for all painful procedures and integration of grimace scale assessment into farm veterinary protocols are all achievable and overdue improvements.