Boar taint (off-flavor in pork from entire males) has driven routine surgical castration, but alternatives to castration address taint without its welfare costs.
Surgical castration of piglets causes acute pain and stress that is often performed without adequate analgesia. The welfare-driven response is to adopt alternatives that address boar taint without causing this pain. Immunocastration (Improvac) eliminates taint effectively through two injections without the pain of surgical castration. Early slaughter and genetic selection reduce taint through production system modification. These alternatives demonstrate that the welfare cost of routine surgical castration is not necessary - industry adoption of alternatives is a clear welfare improvement that is achievable within current production systems.