The castration of 10 million piglets on Holland’s factory farms to get rid of unpleasant smells when the meat is cooked is unnecessary, according to researchers at Wageningen University.

But this smell is almost a thing of the past, the researchers say in Thursday’s Volkskrant. Researchers in Switzerland have reached similar conclusions, the paper says.
Piglets are currently castrated without anaesthetics, although this practice will change next year.
Researcher Gé Backus told the paper that the typical smell of a boar when pork is cooked is hereditary and can be eradicated by careful breeding.
Pig welfare group Varkens in Nood have called for an immediate end to castration.