Pain management in commercial pig farming is often inadequate. Routine procedures and common diseases cause significant pain that is frequently undertreated.
Pain management is one of the most significant gaps in commercial pig welfare. Painful routine procedures — castration, tail docking, teeth clipping — are often performed without analgesics on the grounds of cost or practicality. Pigs mask pain as a prey species defense, leading stockpeople to underestimate their suffering. Research clearly shows these procedures cause measurable pain responses and that analgesic treatment reduces them. Progressive farms are adopting routine NSAID use for procedures and disease treatment. Legislation requiring pain relief for castration is expanding across Europe.