Reducing pain and stress during routine piglet husbandry

Project goal

Assessment and amelioration of pain for improved welfare during routine husbandry procedures in piglets.

Project summary

Consumers expect livestock to be treated humanely, especially when it comes to pain management during elective husbandry procedures.

For piglets, these procedures include ear notching, tail docking, teeth clipping and castration during the first weeks of life. Research is therefore needed to establish the most effective and cost-effective methods of pain management for piglets and to confirm whether pain or pain mitigation has any effect on growth.

Value for producers:

  • More humane husbandry provides a positive response to consumer demands and has the potential to position the Australian pork industry as a leader in the provision of animal welfare solutions.

Recommendations:

  • Cauterisation did seem to cause less severe neuroma than clippers, however this process requires more expensive equipment and operator training.
  • The research also found the topical anaesthetic Tri-Solfen (Bayer Animal Health, Australia) provided pain relief for piglets during castration.
Research enquiries