Tail docking of piglets without anesthesia is standard practice in intensive pig farming to prevent tail biting, causing documented acute pain that better management practices could eliminate.
Tail docking represents a painful procedure used to manage the consequences of a different welfare problem - tail biting driven by frustration in barren, overcrowded environments. The ethical analysis is straightforward: address the root cause (inadequate environment) rather than applying a painful procedure to individual piglets. The Dutch experience demonstrates that providing adequate enrichment and slightly more space dramatically reduces tail biting without requiring docking. The persistent use of routine docking reflects economic pressure to maintain high stocking densities rather than any animal welfare necessity.