Farm Animals

Pig Immunocastration Welfare Benefits

Immunocastration using Improvac provides an alternative to surgical castration for controlling boar taint, with significant welfare advantages.

Key Facts

Improvac consists of two injections 4-6 weeks before slaughter, temporarily suppressing testosterone
Surgical castration without anaesthesia causes significant acute pain
Immunocastration avoids surgical pain while still controlling boar taint near slaughter
Immunocastrate pigs show improved welfare indicators compared to surgically castrated males
EU regulations restrict surgical castration without anaesthesia for piglets over 7 days

Welfare Considerations

The welfare benefit of immunocastration over surgical castration is unambiguous: it completely avoids the acute pain of surgery while achieving the same production objective of boar taint control. Adoption of immunocastration is a significant pig welfare advance in markets where it is accepted.

What You Can Do

Support pork producers and retailers accepting immunocastrate pork
Advocate for immunocastration as the preferred alternative to surgical castration
Choose pork certified as produced without routine surgical castration