Pigs are right now being chemically castrated. Using the Improvac chemical castration method. I believe the active substance is included in different animal “vaccines” used under different name. Improvest is another name it is sold under.
I write “vaccine” in quotes because it is not a vaccine. It is a substance that changes the hormones, behaviour, fertility, organ development of the pigs being vaccinated.
The reason it is being used is as an alternative to physical castration of the pigs. And to make the male and female pigs more sexually docile so that they are easier for the farmer to manage. The reason castration, chemical or physical, is done on pigs. Is because at puberty the male pigs will develop what is called “boar taint”. Some trials are being done with managing that through different feed rather than castration. But the traditional method of managing it has been through castration. Until recently that was done through physical castration, but now it is done many places through chemical castration.
They use it in both male and female pigs. In the females to manage their behaviour.
My policy suggestion is to ban chemical castration of animals used for food. Among others pigs. Because I dont believe we truly know what eating the meat from the chemically castrated animals does to the people that eat it. To understand further what I mean by that, please continue reading.
You can read among others the following (https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/swine_castration_bgnd.pdf):
Castration of male piglets is a common practice in many countries and the vast majority of male piglets in the United States are castrated. Castration is performed to avoid boar taint in the meat of sexually mature male pigs and to reduce aggression toward other pigs and caretakers. Boar taint is an accumulation of compounds, such as skatole and androstenone, in the meat of intact males that cause an unpleasant smell and taste that is released when pork is heated. About 75% of consumers find meat from boars objectionable in comparison with meat from castrated males (barrows). 1 The prevalence and intensity of consumer preference varies on the basis of human genotype. 2 Barrows can be raised beyond puberty without developing strong boar taint, however they have poorer feed conversion and more fat deposits than boars. In addition to a reduction in the risk of boar taint, barrows exhibit less sexual and
aggressive behavior,3 which makes them easier to handle and less likely to fight and injure each other each other in group pens. Currently there are two methods of castrating male piglets: surgical castration and immunocastration.
…
“Improvest® is an FDA-approved veterinary prescription product in the United States. This product is also labeled as Improvac™, a global brand that is approved for use in more than 60 other countries. Immunocastration is effective at reducing sexual and aggressive behaviors in male pigs (e.g. mounting, 8,9,10 knocking,9and fighting9)during the period the pig is immunocastrated.”
Take note that the pigs behaviour, taste and smell is changed even as they are butchered. That is the point of the chemical castration. That the pigs should taste in a way that is more appealing, like if physical castration was done.
That means that no matter what safety or FDA checks have been done. The meat from those pigs will not be the same as those who were not chemically castrated. The pigs organs are changed. Their behaviour is changed and the smell and taste of their meat is changed.
I do not believe that anyone truly knows how eating the meat from those pigs affects humans.
The safety studies I have come across say “the adjuvant is safe” and “the hormones were within reasonable range”, but that was on oral studies where they gave the vaccine orally directly to rats and male pigs. Not where they looked at how people reacted to eating the changed meat from the pigs. And those studies were short, weeks or months in length. I have not come across any studies indicating what effects it causes in humans to eat the changed meat. I do not believe anyone knows what happens to people who eat the meat from those pigs for years and years. Especially pregnant women or children.
For this reason. I encourage you to ban chemical castration of animals used for food. Starting with the improvac/improvest vaccines. But also to make a general policy of banning all chemical castrations of animals used for food. To prevent future loop holes. Instead there should be looked at using feed to change the boar taint of the male pigs. You can find various case studies changing the boar taint through changing the pigs feed if you search “change boar taint through feed” on Google or elsewhere.
Here is an example study (Feeding and housing boars after puberty without castration allows for good performance and low boar taint):
“…Improved housing with more headspace, larger feeders, extra drinkers, environmental enrichment (organic toys), and group stability until slaughter led to a significant decrease in androstenone levels and benefited animal health and welfare without compromising performance. In addition, diets with inulin from Fibrofos or sugar beet pulp allowed to significantly reduce skatole content. Due to the price, beet pulp is more sustainable and its 10% inclusion did not negatively affect either intake or performance. Raising entire male pigs for carcasses with low boar taint is be possible if adequate space, environmental enrichment, and specific feeds are provided.”
So there should be a two way solution to dealing with this.
One is to ban chemical castration of animals used for food. Another should be to advise farmers about solutions for how to reduce the boar taint, so that they themselves can continue to work on that and see how they can get the best meat quality possible through working with natural ways.
And that is the policy.