Multiple routine pig farm procedures cause significant pain, yet are frequently performed without analgesia. Improving pain management for these procedures is one of the most achievable welfare improvements in pig farming.
Pig farm procedure pain management illustrates the gap between welfare standards and practice that characterizes much of the farmed animal welfare landscape. The EU mandate for analgesia in castration of older piglets reflects genuine welfare progress - but the exemption for castration within the first week of life means the vast majority of piglet castrations still occur without pain relief. The reasoning (neonates feel less pain, procedures are quicker) has been challenged by research showing neonatal pain responses are at least as significant as adult responses. Immunological castration with Improvac demonstrates that surgical castration is not technologically necessary - it persists because of market preferences (particularly in some export markets) that have no welfare justification.