Recognising and managing pain in pigs has historically been challenging, but advances in facial expression analysis and behavioural scoring are improving stockperson ability to identify and respond to suffering.
Pain assessment and management in pigs has improved considerably but remains inadequate in many commercial settings. Acute pain from procedures (castration, tail docking, teeth clipping) is increasingly recognised and regulated, but chronic pain from disease and injury is less systematically assessed. Stockperson training in behavioural pain recognition and willingness to use available analgesics are the key practical improvements needed. Every pig that suffers treatable pain without receiving analgesia represents a failure of the duty of care that welfare legislation is intended to enforce.