The Porcine Grimace Scale enables farmers and vets to assess pain in pigs from facial expressions. Widespread adoption could transform pain recognition in pig farming.
Most pain in commercial pig farming goes unrecognized and untreated. The Porcine Grimace Scale provides a practical, non-invasive tool for pain assessment that requires no additional equipment beyond observation. Training pig farmers and veterinarians in its use could prevent vast amounts of unaddressed suffering across commercial herds.