European law allows piglet castration without anaesthesia under 7 days of age

Europe is a dynamic marketplace for the pork industry, with respectively Spain, Germany, France, Denmark and the Netherlands being the biggest players in the European pork industry²¹ (cf table 1). Spain, Netherlands, Germany, France also had the biggest growth in swine production in 2022²².

Considering the overall piglet population at a European level, piglet castration is more and more causing welfare concerns. 

Table 1. Annual pig population by country in December 2023²¹ (Thousand heads)

Piglet castration in Europe: an unharmonized situation, with different alternatives in countries

Overall, there is no harmonised situation with regards to piglet castration in Europe, as local regulations differ from one country to another. Countries across Europe have different approaches to piglet castration, closely linked to their traditions and local regulations. Where some countries have a history in raising and fattening entire male pigs such as Ireland, the UK, Portugal and Spain; surgical castration is more developed in other countries. Immunocastration remains quite episodic. In some countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany, pork food supply chains and retailers have successfully adapted best practices to end surgical castration of piglets, especially by increasing the number of entire male pigs¹⁹. For instance, between 2015 and 2017, France and Germany have increased the number of entire male pigs raised, respectively reaching 22% and 20% of their entire pig population¹⁹. Table 2 and maps 1 and 2 summarise the state of play by country.

There does not seem to be any real sense of urgency with regards to moving away from traditional practices and achieving the decision of completely phase out piglet surgical castration stated in the 2010 Brussels declaration, where surgical castration of pig should have been abandoned by 2018. To date, there is no official deadline to ban piglet surgical castration.

Nevertheless, some progress seems to have been made in the last few years, and a few European countries are ready to switch towards more welfare-friendly protocols with regards to piglet castration. However, they remain a minority. Only six countries have passed laws banning piglet castration without any pain relief and/or anaesthesia, and alternatives differ from one country to another. In some countries, while there is no official deadline to end castration, there actually is a deadline to demand the use of analgesia (Finland in 2011 with an industry requirement; Denmark with an industry requirement in 2009 and a legal requirement in 2011), the use of anaesthesia (Switzerland, Germany, France), and the use of analgesia and anaesthesia (Norway, Sweden) (cf table 3). In addition to this, it is worth noting that, in general, no financial support is given to farmers to support them moving towards the adoption of more welfare-friendly practices.

Table 2. Overview of surgical castration and alternatives in European countries in 2017¹⁹

Map 1. Overview of piglet surgical castration in Europe¹⁹

Map 2. Protocols used for piglet surgical castration in Europe ¹⁹

Local deadlines on pig surgical castration in some European countries

Table 3. Local deadlines on pig surgical castration in some European countries¹⁰

Spain

Spain has a history in raising and fattening entire male boars^10,19. Indeed, the Spanish pig production system mainly relies on the fattening of male boars.

In 2016, 80% of the male pig population was entire males, 15% were surgically castrated and only 5% immunocastrated^10. Although there is no specific regulatory framework for surgical piglet castration, the latter remaining an isolated option in pig production, Spain has strict animal welfare regulations. Royal Decree 159/2023²⁷, published in 2023 and coming into force in 2025, establishes provisions in terms of animal welfare and more specifically pig welfare, by amending previous royal decrees. These provisions are aiming to establish minimum standards for pig protection, with the ultimate goal to reduce the need for tail docking, by decreasing animal density on farms and implementing new housing conditions (feeding, water, enrichment of environment, etc) being the main requirements.

According to this new animal welfare act, castration of piglets should not entail any tearing of tissue. There is no other specific mention with regards to castration of piglets under the age of seven days. If castration or tail docking is carried out after the seventh day of life, it will only be carried out with prolonged anaesthesia and analgesia provided by veterinary personnel. So, there is no legislative measure in Spain to move away from surgical castration without analgesia or anaesthesia; there is no financial compensation from the government either¹⁹.

France

In France, since January 1^st 2022, piglet castration without anaesthesia is forbidden^34,35,36,37. If farmers wish to perform piglet castration surgically, there must be an anaesthetic and pain management protocol put in place. The government has published technical recommendations for local anaesthetic protocols to use, established in consultation with scientists and professional representatives. These anaesthetic protocols recommend using lidocaine (intratesticular injection) although there is no market authorisation for lidocaine for pigs in Europe. According to French law, only veterinarians may perform piglet castration surgeries. By way of exception, and provided they attended an e-learning training on surgical piglet castration provided by the French authorities with their vet or keeping their vet informed (they will get a personal certificate of training completion) as well as a practical training, pig farmers are allowed to perform castration with local anaesthesia and pain relief on male piglets aged seven days or less. Pig farmers can apply analgesics or local anaesthetics, provided that the dispensing of these drugs is authorized to the public. Only vets can use general anaesthetics. French law also requires from farm owners to appoint a dedicated member of staff trained on animal welfare whose mission will be to raise awareness on animal welfare across the farm and ensure animals are well kept^34,35,36,37.

Vets and pig farmers are working hand in hand in the process. Vets are here to support pig farmers by helping them define the right anaesthetic and pain management protocol to use, by giving them technical support and training as needed, and by prescribing the relevant drugs. Inspections can be randomly performed in farms to assess process compliance and ensure the highest standards of animal welfare. There is no financial compensation from the government to support the move towards more welfare-friendly protocols for piglet surgical castration.

UK

In the UK, the vast majority of pigs are entire males. As such, there is no legislative measure banning surgical castration, nor any financial compensation for pig farmers.

However, mitigating pain in the rare occurrence of surgical castration is acknowledged by the British government. As a matter of fact, the Code of Practice for the welfare of pigs⁴⁰ clearly states that pig farmers should demonstrate considerate behaviours towards pigs (loading, unloading, transport, etc) and that pig castration “may only be carried out by a veterinary surgeon or, where the animal is aged not more than 7 days, by a person experienced in performing the techniques involved and who is either a person responsible for the animal or a person employed or engaged by such a person to attend to the animal”. Castration is considered a mutilation, and it is recommended to avoid it wherever possible. The code of practice also states that “it is also advisable that analgesia is used where pigs less than 7 days old are castrated, not just where pigs are 7 days of age or older”.

British retailers prescribe the standards for pork production via the Red Tractor label, the UK’s largest food and farm standards scheme. Red Tractor champions high quality food and high standards of animal welfare throughout the food production chain.

Ultimately, the piglet surgical castration situation in Europe results from a conflict between high standards of animal welfare on one hand and the reality of farm practice on the other hand.

Depending on local traditions and production systems, various alternatives to piglet castration without anaesthesia and analgesia have been implemented; however, much remains to be done to consistently improve animal welfare, especially in countries where surgical castration is still performed.

In such countries, the pork industry is waiting for new, alternative solutions to efficiently mitigate pain associated with piglet surgical castration.

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