Pain in pigs is difficult to assess and chronically undertreated on farms, despite clear evidence that pigs experience and suffer from pain across multiple common conditions.
Pain recognition in pigs is hampered by their stoic nature as prey animals and the economic disincentives for treatment in commercial production. However, validated assessment tools now exist that allow reliable pain scoring from facial expression changes. Training farm workers to use these tools alongside providing analgesics has been shown to improve welfare outcomes without prohibitive cost.