Male pig castration is widely practiced to prevent boar taint in pork, but causes significant acute pain and is performed without anaesthesia in most commercial settings. Several countries and retailers are now promoting alternatives.
Surgical castration without pain relief causes acute pain during and after the procedure, measurable through elevated cortisol, vocalisation, and wound-guarding behaviour. Recovery pain without analgesia lasts hours to days. Complications including infection and abscess formation cause additional suffering. The EU has set aspirational targets for phasing out surgical castration without anaesthesia, but progress has been slow. Immunocastration achieves equivalent taint prevention with significantly lower welfare cost and is the most direct welfare-improving alternative currently available.