Immunocastration using Improvac is a welfare-positive alternative to surgical castration that prevents boar taint without the pain of physical castration.
Surgical castration of male piglets without anaesthesia is one of the most welfare-compromising routine procedures in pig production. The procedure causes acute pain demonstrated by stress vocalisations and physiological markers. Immunocastration achieves the production goal of taint prevention without the welfare cost of surgery. However it requires two injections and precise timing, which introduces its own minor handling stress. The net welfare balance strongly favours immunocastration over surgical alternatives.