articles about castration in Articles

Castration remains prevalent in European countries, although the systems used differ from country to country.

A review of the strategies used to reduce boar taint by country and the detection systems available in slaughterhouses.

New regulations allow farmers to administer general anaesthesia to piglets via inhalation of isoflurane. This is how the German swine industry is adapting so far.

The easy and realistic solution is to produce entire boars or to immunocastrate. However, there are countries who are leaning more toward anesthesia.

Mr. Antonio Tavares, president of the COPA-COGECA, tells us about the current challenges for the European pig sector: the European Commission wants to ban tail docking within 3 years, but nevertheless, it does not plan legislative changes regarding castration.

The European Declaration on alternatives to the castration of pigs is a declaration that is a voluntary agreement in which, for the first time, the European swine farmers have manifested a proactive stance with the aim of presenting a solution, from the swine sector, to a social demand.

Alternatives for reducing boar taint are being researched. One of the existing alternatives is immunocastration, approved in Europe since May of 2009.

At what age can we castrate piglets? Is it possible to castrate without a general anesthetic? The new test on castration tries to resolve these doubts.

The administration of local or general anesthesia, accompanied in all cases by a long-lasting analgesic, eliminates or considerably reduces the pain caused by surgical castration. However, the use of these products has certain limitations.

Immunological castration also reduces sexual behavior and aggressiveness during the final weeks of fattening, in this way increasing the time dedicated to the ingestion of food

Approximately 80% of the 120 million male pigs that are slaughtered every year in the European Union are castrated (EFSA, 2004).