Surgical castration to prevent boar taint is a major source of pain in pig production, and alternatives including immunocastration and genetics offer welfare-friendly solutions.
Surgical castration of piglets without pain relief represents one of the most widespread and avoidable sources of acute pain in farm animal production. Millions of piglets experience this procedure annually in countries where anesthesia is not required. The procedure causes intense, measurable pain responses that persist for hours. The existence of effective alternatives makes continued routine castration without pain management indefensible from a welfare perspective. Immunocastration eliminates both the pain of surgery and the androstenone component of boar taint. The industry has been slow to adopt alternatives despite clear welfare benefits and consumer acceptance of immunocastration in many markets.