Farm Animals

Pig Immunocastration Boar Taint Welfare

Immunocastration using the Improvac vaccine prevents boar taint without surgical castration, offering significant welfare advantages.

Key Facts

Improvac triggers an immune response against GnRF suppressing testicular function before slaughter
Two doses 4-6 weeks apart followed by a minimum 4-week interval before slaughter are required
Immunocastrated pigs grow faster and have better feed conversion than surgical castrates
Boar taint scores of immunocastrated pigs are equivalent to surgical castrates in taste panel studies
Consumer acceptance of immunocastration varies between countries affecting adoption rates

Welfare Considerations

Immunocastration eliminates the acute pain of surgical castration while delivering equivalent boar taint prevention. It allows pigs to benefit from testosterone-driven growth during most of their productive life. Barriers to adoption including consumer perception and veterinary administration costs are not justified by animal welfare considerations, which strongly favour immunocastration.

What You Can Do

Ask supermarkets and pork suppliers whether they accept immunocastrated pig products
Support pork producers using immunocastration by purchasing their products
Advocate for immunocastration to be promoted as the preferred method in national pig welfare codes
Learn about immunocastration from the European Medicines Agency and Zoetis technical resources