Livestock

Pain Management in Pigs: What the Science Tells Us

Science-based review of pain recognition and management in pigs across production systems.

Key Facts

Pigs are highly sentient animals with well-developed pain processing systems
Surgical procedures without anaesthesia or analgesia — including castration and tail docking — cause acute pain
Post-operative pain from routine procedures is often underestimated and undertreated
Meloxicam and ketoprofen are licensed NSAIDs for pigs and substantially reduce post-procedural pain
Grimace scale tools developed for pigs allow more objective pain assessment by farm staff
Lameness in pigs is common and associated with significant chronic pain
Stockpeople trained in pain recognition report more pain-related behaviours and intervene earlier
EU legislation requires pain relief for some surgical procedures, but enforcement varies

Welfare Significance

Pain management in pigs has historically lagged behind companion animal veterinary practice. The scientific evidence is clear — pigs experience pain from routine husbandry procedures and from disease, and this pain is manageable. Expanding analgesic use, improving stockperson training, and strengthening legislation would substantially reduce pain burden across pig production.

What You Can Do

Advocate for mandatory pain relief for all surgical procedures in pigs
Support training programmes for stockpeople on pig pain recognition
Choose higher-welfare pork from schemes that prohibit painful procedures without analgesia
Fund research into validated pig pain assessment tools