Examining Alternatives to Painful Piglet Castration Within the Contexts of Markets and Stakeholders: A Comparison of Four EU Countries

Simple Summary Painful castration of male piglets to avoid boar taint can potentially be replaced by three more ethical alternatives: using pain relief during and after castration, raising entire males, and administering vaccines. To ensure that pigs and pig products can be traded with the fewest barriers possible, the European Commission initially prefers the adoption of a single solution for the entire European Union. Each alternative is subject to its own advantages and disadvantages, however, and production chains in different member states disagree with regard to which alternative should be selected. This study examines the issue of castration in four different countries (the Netherlands, France, Slovenia, and Germany) against the specific background of their pork-production systems. The results indicate that, although the stakeholders in these countries are generally willing to switch from painful castration to one of the alternatives, the specific alternatives that they prefer are strongly dependent on the structure, scale, and cost and quality orientation of the production system. To improve animal welfare, policymakers should therefore consider allowing the coexistence of several different alternatives throughout Europe and developing policies for the most suitable alternatives for the pork-production systems in their own countries. To avoid the occurrence of boar taint in pork, the castration of piglets without pain relief is a common practice in many European countries. The public has been calling for more animal-friendly alternatives, which include anesthesia/analgesia, immunocastration, and the raising of entire males. To prevent potential trade barriers, the European Commission was initially more in favour of a single method. To date, however, only six countries have passed laws banning castration, and the pig farmers in these countries have chosen different alternatives. To understand the reasons behind the continuing fragmentation, this study examines the issue of castration within the context of four national pork production systems: in the Netherlands, France, Slovenia, and Germany. Drawing on in-depth qualitative data, the study demonstrates that stakeholders are generally willing to abandon the practice of piglet castration without anesthesia/analgesia. Their preferences for alternatives are largely dependent on contextual factors, however, including the structure, scale, and cost and quality orientation of the production system. The results imply that, although a single solution for castration is unlikely to evolve amongst the diverse pork-production systems in Europe, a future without the painful castration of piglets is possible if alternatives are accepted to coexist.

Automated summary

The practice of painful castration of piglets to avoid boar taint in many European countries has sparked calls for more animal-friendly alternatives. Stakeholders in different countries prefer alternatives based on contextual factors such as the structure, scale, cost, and quality orientation of the production system.