In the United States, physical castration of male piglets is a routine practice conducted on-farm in order to eliminate boar taint; an abnormal odor associated with meat of sexually mature pigs that have not been castrated. With a high consumer sensitivity to this odor and poor meat quality associated with such cuts, much work has been done in order to minimize products with boar taint and prevent such products from reaching supermarket shelves. In the United States, the primary method of controlling boar taint is castration of male piglets within the first week of life.
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