Pain Management in Farm Animal Medicine

Adequate pain management is one of the most significant welfare gaps in commercial farm animal production.

Key Facts

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduce pain and inflammation in farm animals effectively
Only 30-50% of UK dairy farmers routinely use analgesics after dehorning of calves
Pain management after lameness treatment is inconsistently applied across the industry
Meloxicam and ketoprofen are the most widely used licensed analgesics in cattle
Economic barriers to pain management include drug cost and withdrawal period concerns

Welfare Considerations

The gap between available analgesic tools and their routine use in farm animal medicine represents one of the most tractable welfare improvements possible. Effective pain management drugs exist for cattle, sheep, and pigs, are licensed, and their cost is modest relative to production value. The barrier is partly economic but also cultural — a historical tendency to underestimate farm animal pain, assume resilience, and prioritise productivity over welfare comfort. Changing this requires education, incentives, and welfare standards that mandate pain management.

What You Can Do

Support welfare standards requiring mandatory pain management for specified painful procedures
Advocate for veterinary prescribing frameworks that make analgesic use routine
Learn about the analgesic options available for common farm animal painful procedures
Support research into new pain management approaches for aquatic species
Engage with campaigns for better pain management as a fundamental welfare right