Pain recognition in pigs has advanced significantly with the development of the Pig Grimace Scale and automated facial action coding. These tools are beginning to reach practical farm application.
Pain recognition tools for pigs allow both farmers and vets to objectively assess whether animals require analgesia — reducing the undertreatment that has historically been common. The development of automated real-time assessment systems has the potential to alert stockpeople when animals are in pain, triggering timely intervention. Consumer willingness to pay for higher-welfare pork can support the investment needed to implement these tools at farm level.