Livestock

Cattle Dehorning and Disbudding Welfare

Dehorning and disbudding of cattle are painful procedures that require anaesthesia and analgesia as standard practice, yet many cattle are still dehorned without pain relief in global production systems.

Key Facts

Disbudding of calves under 6 weeks is less invasive than dehorning older cattle
Local anaesthesia alone is insufficient as pain continues after the block wears off
Multimodal analgesia combining local anaesthesia with NSAID provides the best welfare outcome
Polled (naturally hornless) genetics eliminate the need for dehorning entirely

Welfare Considerations

Dehorning and disbudding cause acute and sustained pain that is measurable through cortisol, pain facial action coding and behaviour indicators. Without adequate pain relief, calves show persistent pain indicators for 24-48 hours. Polled genetics offer a long-term solution that eliminates the procedure entirely, and industry adoption is growing.

What You Can Do

Ensure all disbudding and dehorning is performed with local anaesthesia plus NSAID analgesia
Work with a vet to implement multimodal pain management protocols for horn removal
Introduce polled genetics into breeding programmes to gradually eliminate horn removal need
Support breeding programmes developing polled versions of high-performance cattle breeds