Can We Prevent Boar Taint and Reduce the Need to Castrate Male Pigs?

Abstract Castration of male piglets to prevent boar taint was traditionally done without pain relief. Current codes of practise require the use of analgesics, but castration still results in some pain and stress, increased chance of infections and decreased production efficiency, so alternatives to castration for controlling boar taint are needed. Boar taint is caused by androstenone, a sex pheromone produced by the testis, and skatole, which is produced from the degradation of tryptophan by the gut microbiota. Boar taint is a multifactorial issue that is influenced by numerous physiological processes that vary between different breeds and individuals, with some pigs exhibiting naturally low levels of boar taint. This case study evaluates strategies to identify those individuals with a low potential for boar taint, which would allow them to be used in pork production without further treatment. Levels of plasma androstenone at 21 and 28 days of age were the most reliable predictors of boar taint at maturity. For pigs with a high potential for boar taint, strategies to control boar taint without castration that do not result in decreased production efficiency are needed. This includes immunocastration and genetic selection; nutritional strategies using prebiotics and dietary binding agents are also possible. Information © The Authors 2025