Recognizing and treating pain in pigs is a critical welfare challenge — pigs mask pain behaviorally as a prey species, and the industry has historically underused analgesia for routine painful procedures.
Pain management in pigs has historically been inadequate, partly because pigs — as prey animals — evolved to suppress pain displays. This behavioral stoicism has been misinterpreted as evidence of reduced pain sensitivity. Research using physiological measures and validated pain scales has demonstrated that pigs experience significant pain from routine procedures and from disease conditions including lameness, wounds, and reproductive disorders. The welfare improvement from analgesia provision is substantial and the cost modest. The shift toward immunocastration — which eliminates the need for surgical castration entirely — represents a higher-order welfare improvement that also addresses the compliance burden of pain relief protocols.