Surgical castration of piglets to prevent boar taint causes significant pain, yet alternatives exist that can eliminate the need for this painful procedure.
Non-anesthetized surgical castration causes acute pain in piglets that is well-documented and entirely preventable. The scale of the practice — hundreds of millions of piglets globally — makes it one of the largest sources of acute pain in animal agriculture. Alternatives are available: immunocastration eliminates taint without surgery, entire male production with adjusted slaughter weight avoids taint in most cases, and genetic selection reduces susceptibility. The persistence of non-anesthetized castration despite available alternatives reflects economic inertia and inconsistent regulatory enforcement, not genuine necessity. Eliminating this procedure is one of the most achievable high-impact welfare improvements in pig production.