Pig castration, and big pharma. Is it necessary?

[davey72]

I have been told over, and over that i need to castrate my male pigs at least 3 months prior to butchering, or they will be tainted. I have been avoiding this, as they are older, and i think it could be very stressful for the both of us. Searching the internet i have found that it may not be necessary anyways. Here is what one sight has to say on the matter.

_http://sugarmtnfarm.com/tainted-big-pharma/

We don’t castrate the pigs we raise because we have no boar taint in our herds. This saves the little piglets a lot of pain on top of the fact that castration is a chore that nobody here enjoys, pigs included.

Big Pharma is trying to convince farmers and consumers that uncastrated male pigs taste bad. This is not true – The reality is that real, independent scientific research shows that only a very small minority of (older) boars have taint – the vast majority of market age boars do not have taint so castration and the new Pfizer vaccine Improvac are unnecessary.

Boar Taint Facts
Taint is an unpleasant, musky urine like flavor and smell in the meat that is caused by two chemicals, skatole and androstenone, which can be found in both male pigs and occasionally in female pigs (gilts & sows). Taint is primarily deposited in the fat and most noticeable when cooking so it is simple to test for by using a soldering iron on a piece of fat after slaughter. About 25% of the human population can not detect taint so the taint tester needs to first be validated. I can detect taint as can my son. My wife can not.

According to some researchers, breeds such as the lighter colored ones like Yorkshire are very low in taint while some of the newer commercial breeds are higher in taint. Boar taint is caused by poor genetics, over crowding, poor sanitation, low fiber diets, feed choices, management issues and other problems.

Slaughtering pigs at a normal market age and weight also virtually always prevents boar taint. We have tested many hundreds of boars up to 30 months of age on our farm without ever finding any taint in them. Castration isn’t necessary so we don’t do it any longer for our herds. If a farmer has a herd where boar taint is present, the taint can be bred out of the pigs and improved with better management practices.

Boar tainted meat is traditionally used trimmed to the lean and combined with fat from beef or sows for making spicy sausages, pepperoni and such which mask the flavor. Old country, low-tech solutions to the occasional strong tasting boar. Some people like the stronger flavor.

Over the years I’ve done a lot of research on this topic here at our farm. Our herd doesn’t have the boar taint, we don’t castrate and the pork from our boars sells like crazy to individuals and in stores and restaurants. It would be a shame to waste money on an unnecessary vaccine injecting extra chemicals into the meat. For more details of my research on this topic see:

NoBoarTaint.org
Boart Taint Articles

which will give you a list of articles about boar taint and lead to further scientific research on the topic of boar taint.

I would strongly suggest that farmers test for boar taint in their swine breeding herds before they spend a lot of money on anti-taint vaccines for their hogs. In the unlikely event they do have taint, then they should look into how to improve their feeding, management and genetics to get rid of it before resorting to costly vaccines that will be necessary for all future pigs if they travel down that path. Let’s humanely raise pigs with NoWeirdStuff in them.

Of course, none of this is going to make money for Big Pharma. If consumers and farmers know the truth then it is hard to justify the high cost of vaccination against a non-problem. Who’s going to be willing to fork over money for unnecessary vaccines unless they’re properly scared into wanting it? Who wants to pay the resulting higher price for food that has been injected with one more chemical? Not me!

One interesting question is that it is not clear if Pfizer’s new anti-taint vaccine Improvac will protect against both kinds of taint since taint is actually caused by two different chemicals, one produced in the testes & adrenal glands (androstenone) and the other taint caused by bacteria in the small intestine (skatole). From what I’ve read, Improvac merely suppresses testicular function and thus only protects against the androstenone from the testes. This ignores the androstenone produced in the adrenal glands above the kidneys and it ignores the skatole induced taint. Thus the vaccine is not 100% effective at preventing “boar taint”. I’m sure they’ll have appropriate disclaimers that keep them from having to be liable for those few remaining cases of taint on farms that depend on their vaccine.

Another interesting point is that when giving injections it is not all that rare for farmers to accidentally inject themselves. In a report by the European Medicine’s Agency it says:

“Accidental self- injection may produce similar effects in people to those seen in pigs. The risk of these effects is greater after a second or subsequent accidental injection than after a first injection.“

After a lot of Googling around I also found this expanded a bit on Pfizer’s web site:

“accidental self-injection may produce similar effects in people to those seen in pigs. These may include a temporary reduction in sexual hormones and reproductive functions in both men and women and an adverse effect on pregnancy. The risk of these effects will be greater after a second or subsequent accidental injection than after a first injection. The product label advises anyone who has received an accidental self-injection to seek medical attention immediately and not to use the product in the future.“

Apparently even women are susceptible to this issue. So if you use Improvac I would strongly suggest that you have already had any children you plan before using this product – You may not get another chance.

Another big problem I see with this vaccination is that these same Big Pharma companies may covertly, or overtly, aid the animal liberation and animal rights groups in pushing through laws banning castration. Big Pharma would benefit from a ban on castration because that will further their sales agenda and profits since so many people believe the Boar Taint Myth. While I am against the practice of castration I am even more against governmental interference in our lives. Castration is unnecessary but we need to let education and the market decide, not Big Corp lobbyists and government bureaucrats.

In a totally related irony, it is our dear friends at Pfizer that make little blue pills for erectile dysfunction. Our big boar Spot has no problem with this either.

And if that wasn’t more than you wanted to hear about boar balls, click through to the links for long evenings of reading…

Here is another site. _http://sugarmtnfarm.com/hi-tech-vs-boar-taint/

 

[Laura]

Well, I don't see any reason they can't do it the same way they do dogs and frankly, we've had all our male dogs snipped and it doesn't seem to have upset any of them.

But maybe they don't put pigs to sleep to do it?

But anyway, a tranquilizer and a little local anaesthetic and there's really not much to it, and almost no pain as far as I've seen and heard. You prolly should have had it done as soon as their testicles descended.

I've tasted wild boar and don't like it. Nasty.

 

[davey72]

Unfortunately i got them when they were already bigger. As far as i have heard(but this is hearsay from farmers in the area) is that pigs are pretty sensitive when it comes to tranquilizers. It can kill them readily. (also in regards to electric fences).

When i was a kid i had to hold the piglets for my dad while he castrated them, and cut their teeth, and tails off so i know it is pretty quick, and easy when they are young. From what i have been reading, only a small percentage of boars have taint. It has to do with their genetics, and their living conditions, overcrowding, and the food they eat, etc. It may be a bit of a gamble to bypass it, but To do it at 10 months might prove difficult. Especially since i cannot seperate them before i do it. Apparently they can be very protective of each other. they can be pretty aggressive. It is possible though. As this one blogger has proven.

_http://www.permies.com/t/6434/pigs/Large-Pig-Castration-Lesson-learned


Large Pig Castration - Lesson learned
Abe Connally

posted January-12-11 6:50:20 PM purple mooseage
I castrated a 120+lb hog today, and I can tell you, I'll never do that again. I did it by myself, and it was one of those things, it needed to be done, so I went ahead and did it. But, I will never wait to do it that late ever again. Use this information as you see fit, and please learn from my mistakes.

We had planned to not castrate him, and sell him as a butcher hog at 220lbs. Unfortunately, the feedback we have been getting from potential customers in our area is that they would never buy a non-castrated hog for butchering.

So, I decided we should do it. Being a bit stubborn and living 2 miles from anyone, I thought I would try and do it myself.

I got a few ropes, some rubbing alcohol, a razor blade, and off I went to the pig pen early this morning. I separated out the other hogs into the pasture, and I had him in the pen. I took 2 ropes, and made a slip-knot on the end of each. One, I slipped over and around his snout, pulled it tight, and tied it off to a post along the fence of the pen. The other rope went around a hind leg, and to another post. I pulled him out tight, so he really couldn't move at all.

Needless to say, he was screaming pretty loud by now. He didn't like this at all.

I straddled his rear end, and lifted it up a bit off the ground. I took some alcohol and cleaned the whole area really good. I held one testicle taught against the scrotum. With the razor blade, I made a vertical slice through the skin, and the inner membranes. He flinched during this part, but I did it fast enough that it did cause an issue. I squeezed out one testicle, and pulled it off.

I pushed the other testicle towards the slice, and cut its inner membrane. I squeezed out this testicle, when I felt some bite my leg. I flipped around, and the other pigs had broken through to the pen and were defending their brother! Yikes! At that same instant, another sibling hog was chewing the nose rope, and it broke free.

So, I had a half-castrated male that was no longer contained (and a bit mad), with a testicle hanging out. I had 2 other hogs biting at me, raising up a ruckus,, and generally trying to get me out of the pen.

I dove towards the male, grabbed his hanging testicle, and yanked it out. I splashed some alcohol on there as he made his way into the shed. I managed to wrangle the ropes off him, and jumped the fence, with the other 2 hogs at my heels.

I was kinda shaken up by all this, and just really got cleaned up ad proceeded to watch him periodically throughout the day. He bled some for a while (about an hour) and moved around a few times in the afternoon. I never saw him eat, but he did drink water, so I think he'll be ok.

Now, I've castrated lots of small pigs before, and it was never like this. Usually it is quick, easy, and relatively painless. I will never wait on one again, it is too stressful, for everyone. And if you must do one late, like this, get 2 people in there.

 

[Laura]

I didn't really need to read that.

I don't see why you don't consult a vet.

 

[davey72]

Sorry. I did question myself before i posted. I suppose i was thinking that there were vets on the forum. I actually did consult a vet, and am awaiting a reply, but i wasn't sure if they may be educationally indoctrinated in much the same way medical Doctors are. Maybe i'm just looking for an excuse not to do it. I will be more discerning in the future.

 

[Courageous Inmate Sort]

From what I've read and seen there is usually no anesthetic in pig castration when done really young. I've seen videos of testicles being removed before descending, the skin is cut and the testicles pulled out. It was not easy to watch.

I know local farmers in Brazil that simply hold the pig down, cut off the testicles and apply oil to the scrotum so it does not get infected. As far as I know, usually no anesthetic regardless of age (including large boars). This is usually done at least one month before butchering.

I know hunters that do the same with wild boars. They castrate and mark them and then come back a month or so later to kill them.

I've read that keeping males and females separated avoids taint, as it is related to sexual hormones. It seems much rarer in females anyway.

The chemical castration doesn't seems to be a good idea as it is not 100% reliable and who knows what it really does to your pig.

I've eaten tainted pork and although I could eat it, the smell really bothered me.

Maybe using an anesthetic and/or sedative could be a good compromise between avoiding the taint and diminishing the trauma for the pig.

Edit: apologies if the first paragraph is too graphic, I wrote it before reading in his second post that davey72's had previous experience and thought it could help.

 

[LQB]

Well, I don't see any reason they can't do it the same way they do dogs and frankly, we've had all our male dogs snipped and it doesn't seem to have upset any of them.

But maybe they don't put pigs to sleep to do it?

But anyway, a tranquilizer and a little local anaesthetic and there's really not much to it, and almost no pain as far as I've seen and heard. You prolly should have had it done as soon as their testicles descended.

That is the best way to do it. You take your male pigs to a vet that anesthetizes them and snips them with a small incision. The pigs are a little sore for a few days but that's about it.

Usually the taint appears in the cooking stage, but once cooked, the taste is gone (for farm raised pigs).

 

[davey72]

Well, I don't see any reason they can't do it the same way they do dogs and frankly, we've had all our male dogs snipped and it doesn't seem to have upset any of them.

But maybe they don't put pigs to sleep to do it?

But anyway, a tranquilizer and a little local anaesthetic and there's really not much to it, and almost no pain as far as I've seen and heard. You prolly should have had it done as soon as their testicles descended.

That is the best way to do it. You take your male pigs to a vet that anesthetizes them and snips them with a small incision. The pigs are a little sore for a few days but that's about it.

Usually the taint appears in the cooking stage, but once cooked, the taste is gone (for farm raised pigs).

Have you done this yourself? Have you also eaten meat with taint?

My problem is that i don't even have a vehicle right now, let alone the money for a vet even if i could lift him onto a truck.
As for doing it when their testicles descended, they don't descend until they are about six to eight months of age. (two months ago) Now they are just starting to try,and breed.

From what i have been reading, taint is mainly genetic with environmental factors as well. Female pigs can have taint too. It is a low percentage that will have taint being raised the way i have raised them with the smallest percentage being in the lighter breeds like yorkshires, which mine are.

Pigs are also not given any type of drugs for this when they are still suckling. All the farmers around here that seem to know about pigs say that tranquilizing them at any age will likely kill them.

 

[LQB]

Have you done this yourself? Have you also eaten meat with taint?

My problem is that i don't even have a vehicle right now, let alone the money for a vet even if i could lift him onto a truck.
As for doing it when their testicles descended, they don't descend until they are about six to eight months of age. (two months ago) Now they are just starting to try,and breed.

Yes, early on in our farm ops we butchered a male for testing. The taint was evident in the cooking but not the finished product (tastes just fine). But since the farm sells to the public, the snip operation is mandatory for the males. The females have never been an issue.

Don't try to lift the pigs (both parties are likely to get hurt). Its easy to get them into a trailer with food - if you can find someone to help you out with the transportation.