Several alternatives to painless castration of piglets are being considered

A group set up last year is currently considering several alternatives to the pain-free castration of piglets, the State Food and Veterinary Service (SVVT) has announced. 

According to the VMVT, the meeting on Wednesday discussed the possibility of using chemical castration and the effectiveness of immunovaccination. 

„(Wednesday – ELTA) A working group met for almost two hours to discuss alternatives to castration of piglets. The use of one of the alternatives – chemical castration – is being analysed, but the effectiveness of immunovaccination is also being questioned, – the MOH said in a commentary to ELTA. 

„There is also a discussion about not culling piglets in general, so the next meeting is scheduled to clarify problematic issues. Representatives of industrialists' and traders' associations have joined the meeting and have also made comments,– the service says. 

The next meeting of the working group is scheduled for May, according to the MoVT. 

„The matter is still pending and there are no final conclusions at this stage“, – it said in a reply to Elta. 

For her part, Gabrielė Vaitkevičiūtė, head of the non-governmental animal protection organisation „Tušti cages“, believes that the most important thing is that the exemption allowing piglets to be castrated without painkillers should be abolished, and that it is up to the farmers to choose what alternative measures they will take.

„Immunocastration is used in some countries. It is the most painless option for the animal and the most cost-effective for farmers (…). The intention is to ban the exemption that allows those piglets to be cut up without painkillers, and how farmers will then deal with this: whether they will be anaesthetised (piglets – ELTA), whether they will be immunocastration, whether they will not be castrated, because it is also a popular solution to simply not castrate the animals, is a matter for each individual farmer. There are many alternatives and nobody is saying that you have to do that. It's more that you are not allowed to cut up animals without painkillers," the head of the organisation told Elta.

„To succeed (in banning this exemption – ELTA), I have no doubt. The question is how long. At least „Empty cages“ will continue to campaign until this thing is banned“, – she stressed. 

As reported, in December last year, the fifth protest of the non-governmental animal protection organisation „Tušti cárvai“ was organised to encourage the Director of the Ministry of Veterinary and Animal Health Audronė Mikalauskienė to protect animals in Lithuania and to take action by banning the castration of piglets without painkillers.

The organisation has publicly appealed to the head of the VMVT, A. Mikalauskiene, for a change in the current procedure, which they say could change the current situation with a single signature, but has not achieved the desired result.

According to "Empty Cages", the castration of piglets without painkillers has already been banned in Finland, Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium, while stricter restrictions are already in force in Switzerland and Denmark.

Piglets are usually castrated to reduce aggressive behaviour and to avoid the unpleasant smell of boar meat.