Farm Animals

Farmed Pig Pain Recognition and Assessment

How to recognize pain in pigs and emerging tools including grimace scales that enable more systematic welfare assessment.

Key Facts

Pigs are prey animals that often mask pain signs, making recognition challenging
The Pig Grimace Scale assesses facial action units including ear position and eye shape
Behavioral changes including gait, posture, and appetite indicate pain in pigs
Training stockpeople to recognize pain signs improves welfare outcomes significantly
Under-treatment of pain in pigs is common due to poor recognition and cost barriers

Welfare Considerations

Pain recognition is a prerequisite for pain treatment. Pigs commonly suffer from painful conditions including lameness, wounds, and disease without receiving adequate analgesia because the signs are missed or ignored. Better recognition tools address this directly.

What You Can Do

Support training programs for stockpeople in pig pain recognition
Advocate for pain assessment as a standard part of farm welfare audits
Choose pork from farms committed to routine pain management protocols