Surgical castration of male pigs is performed to prevent boar taint in meat, but welfare-positive alternatives including immunocastration and selective breeding are increasingly viable.
Pig castration welfare harm is substantial and affects tens of millions of animals annually. Surgical castration without analgesia causes acute pain and chronic wound pain over days. The practice exists primarily to prevent a meat quality issue — boar taint — that affects a minority of consumers and can be managed through other means. Immunocastration achieves the same outcome without surgical pain. Selective breeding could eliminate the genetic basis for taint. Detection and segregation of tainted carcasses at slaughter allows entire male production. Welfare advocates argue that the pain imposed by surgical castration is not justified when effective alternatives exist.