Alternatives to piglet castration: from issues to solutions

Abstract

Because castrated male pigs convert feed into meat less efficiently than entire males, they are less efficient regarding the utilization of resources. Moreover, surgical castration without pain relief is painful to the piglet. This is why there is a growing consensus, at least in Western Europe, that it should be abandoned. There are currently three possible alternatives: surgical castration with pain relief, immunocastration, also known as vaccination against boar taint, and raising entire males. Using anesthesia and/or analgesia during surgical castration prevents pain to the piglet. Still, this can be considered only as an intermediate solution for the short-term because it is still adverse to animal integrity, it is still resource-inefficient and it adds costs. For these reasons, surgical castration with pain relief is not sustainable for the long run in mainstream production, even if it might possibly be a solution for some production systems aiming at very high-quality products. The review papers presented in this special issue focus on the two remaining alternatives: entire males and immunocastration.