May 9, 2007

Norway urged to delay castration ban

The government of Norway is set to ban castration on pigs without the use of anaesthetic despite the European Union's appeal to delay the prohibition.

According to research, the ban--which takes effect in 2009--can have large negative consequences on Norwegian pig production.

Castration in Norway can only be carried out by veterinarians using an anaesthetic. It is usually done for meat quality and other marketing requirements.

Research shows that the practicalities of anaesthetised castration has fifty percent of veterinarians were satisfied with the outcome whereas two-thirds of producers were unhappy. However, two years later, only a third of the producers remain dissatisfied.

In the survey, piglets were most often castrated using a combination of subcutaneous and intratesticular administration of lidocaine with adrenaline at an average age of ten days. Post-operative complications were rare.