Pain management in farm animals remains inadequate despite good evidence for its effectiveness, with cost, knowledge barriers, and regulatory gaps limiting uptake across species.
The gap between available pain management and actual practice in livestock farming represents a substantial, preventable welfare burden. Animals undergoing routine painful procedures, suffering from lameness, or recovering from disease frequently receive no analgesia. Barriers include cost, convenience, regulatory requirements, and a culture that historically minimised livestock pain recognition. Veterinary, industry, and government action to normalise pain management, simplify prescribing pathways, and provide cost-effective protocols would substantially reduce suffering across billions of farm animals annually.