Routine cattle management procedures including dehorning, castration, and branding cause significant pain, yet analgesic use remains rare in most of the world's beef and dairy systems.
The gap between available analgesic technology and its adoption in cattle husbandry represents one of the largest preventable welfare deficits in agriculture. Lidocaine nerve blocks for dehorning cost cents per animal and require minimal training to administer. Studies consistently show they eliminate acute pain responses. Yet the majority of the world's dehorning is performed without them. The barrier is primarily cultural and regulatory: producers follow established practice, and most jurisdictions do not require pain relief. Changing this norm requires both regulatory mandates and veterinary leadership that normalizes pain management as a professional standard.