The Commission has developed various materials, factsheets, videos and a comprehensive report, to help farmers, meat processors and retailers to transition away from surgical castration of pigs. Most materials are available in several languages.
Ending surgical castration - Factsheets
Available in 22 EU languages, Chinese and Russian.
Ending surgical castration – Video
 |
In English, subtitles available in 22 EU languages, Chinese and Russian. |
Report
In 2010, following a workshop on alternatives for pig castration, the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency invited representatives of European farmers, meat industry, retailers, scientists, veterinarians and animal welfare NGOs to discuss the issue of pig castration and its possible alternatives, and to consider the possibilities to end this practice.
As a first step, the organisations which voluntarily signed the declaration agreed to use prolonged analgesia and/or anaesthesia when performing surgical castration of pigs from 1 January 2012. However, castration with analgesia and/or anaesthesia is not an alternative option.
As a second step, they planned to abandon surgical castration of pigs by 1 January 2018.
Documents