Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

In 2012, about 1.3 million boars were surgically castrated, most of them without anaesthesia. Castration is performed to avoid the occurrence of boar taint and aggressive and sexual behaviour. There is a growing concern about the welfare of the piglets and the Swedish Board of Agriculture is working to find efficient and functional alternatives to castration without anaesthesia. The aim of this study was to obtain an overall picture of the latest research about the alternatives to castration without anaesthesia, with focus on vaccination against boar taint, and how they affect the welfare of the pigs.

The alternative methods that are available today are surgical castration with anaesthesia and/or analgesia, rearing entire males and vaccination against boar taint. Surgical castration is efficient in preventing boar taint and aggressive and sexual behavior, but incomplete or inadequate anaesthesia and/or analgesia can have negative effects on the welfare of the pig. Rearing entire males improves welfare of these animals early in life when they aren’t subjected to the pain of castration. Later in life their welfare might be impaired due to stress and injuries caused by aggressive and sexual behavior. Entire males have leaner carcasses and higher protein content compared to surgical castrated pigs which is more profitable.

Vaccination against boar taint is efficient in preventing boar taint. The pigs are considered as entire males until the second injection is administered, and are then more likely to show aggressive and sexual behavior compared to surgical castrates. This may result in stress and injuries compromising animal welfare. After the second injection the pigs express less aggressive and sexual behavior, and have a leaner carcass compared to surgical castrates. In order to reduce the time period during which the pigs are subjected to aggressive and sexual behavior the vaccine can be administered earlier. More research is needed to investigate if vaccination against boar taint may be a long term and profitable method in Sweden.