Pain management in pig farming is advancing but remains inconsistently applied. Validated pain assessment tools and evidence-based treatment protocols improve welfare outcomes.
Pig pain management has historically been neglected in intensive production, with routine painful procedures performed without analgesia and chronic pain conditions undertreated. The regulatory requirement for anesthesia and analgesia during surgical castration in the EU represents a significant welfare advance. Immunocastration using Improvac vaccine eliminates surgical pain entirely while preventing boar taint — a superior welfare outcome that has been adopted in several countries. Validated pain assessment tools including the pig grimace scale enable objective pain scoring that improves treatment decisions. Economic analysis demonstrates that treating chronic pain in breeding sows — through lameness management, mastitis treatment, and anti-inflammatory medication — improves reproductive performance and productive lifespan with net positive returns. This removes the perceived tension between welfare and productivity in pain management.