Castration of piglets under general anaesthesia: a possible approach

Since January 2010 the castration of piglets without pain relief has been forbidden in Switzerland. Swiss pig farmers now have two choices, either vet-performed anaesthesia and analgesia by intramuscular injection or farmer-administered isofluran anaesthesia by an inhalation device. Many smaller pig producers, with less than 60 sows, have chosen injected anaesthesia for economic, user safety and environmental reasons.