ArticleScientific reports2019
Physiological and economic benefits of abandoning invasive surgical procedures and enhancing animal welfare in swine production.
Article in Scientific reports, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Topical wound-care products and their effects on healing, inflammatory biomarkers, and growth in piglets undergoing castration.Porcine health management · 2026Article
- Bovine pain scale: A novel tool for pain assessment in cattle undergoing surgery in the hospital setting.PloS one · 2025Article
- Impact of a natural rubber-based scratcher as an environmental enrichment on the scratching behavior, cortisol level, and semen quality of stable male goats.Veterinary world · 2024Article
- GnRH Immunocastration in Male Xizang Sheep: Impacts on Rumen Microbiome and Metabolite Profiles for Enhanced Health and Productivity.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Effect of castration method on porcine skeletal muscle fiber traits and transcriptome profiles.Veterinary and animal science · 2024Article
- Non-invasive methods for analysing pig welfare biomarkers.Veterinarni medicina · 2024Review
- Needle-free intradermal vaccination, an opportunity to improve commercial pig welfare.Animal welfare (South Mimms, England) · 2024Article
- Hair cortisol concentration in finishing pigs on commercial farms: variability between pigs, batches, and farms.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2023Article
- Comparison of effects of a single dose of MHYOSPHERE® PCV ID with three commercial porcine vaccine associations against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhyo) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) on piglet growth during the nursery period under field conditions.Veterinary research communications · 2022Article
- Saliva metabolome alterations after acute stress.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Effects of Wash Protocol and Contamination Level on Concentrations of Cortisol and Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in Swine Hair.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2021Article
- Do boars compensate for hunting with higher reproductive hormones?Conservation physiology · 2021Article
- On the Road to End Pig Pain: Knowledge and Attitudes of Brazilian Citizens Regarding Castration.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2020Article
- Optimal Methods of Documenting Analgesic Efficacy in Neonatal Piglets Undergoing Castration.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Food-animal welfare is a major ethical and social concern. Pork is the most consumed meat worldwide, with over a billion pigs slaughtered annually. Most of these pigs routinely undergo painful surgical procedures (surgical castration, tail docking, teeth clipping), which farmers often reluctant to avoid, claiming it would increase cost and reduce production efficiency. Herein, this study indicates that these procedures compromise pigs' health and condition. Replacing surgical castration with immunocastration, avoiding tail docking and teeth clipping, and providing environmental enrichment, resulted in significant increase in weight gain, lowered risks for injuries and death, and reduced saliva and hair cortisol, both biomarkers for stress. Testosterone and DHEA analyses confirmed that immunocastration was an effective alternative to surgical castration. Economic models for the entire US swine market revealed that following across-the-board acceptance of this management, pork meat price is expected to drop, while the total annual social welfare (combined consumer and producer surplus) is expected to increase by $US 1.48 to 1.92 billion. In conclusion, sustainable swine farming management can be beneficial for both animals and farmers. Applying such welfare-friendly management is expected to reduce stress, enhance piglet/pig welfare and production, and improve the economics of swine operations in the global agro-food system.
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