Accurate pain assessment in pigs has improved dramatically with development of validated grimace scales and behavioral indicators, enabling better welfare management.
Pain recognition in pigs has historically been poor, with husbandry procedures performed without adequate analgesia and lameness undertreated in commercial settings. Validated pain assessment tools now give producers and veterinarians reliable methods to identify painful states and evaluate treatment efficacy. Growing regulatory and retailer pressure is driving adoption of analgesia for routine procedures and improved lameness management. Staff training in pain recognition is among the highest-impact welfare investments available to pig producers.