The removal of antler velvet from farmed and wild deer for use in traditional medicine and supplements causes documented pain and stress, prompting welfare campaigns for bans on the practice.
Deer are animals with well-documented stress physiology and pain responses. Velvet antler is highly innervated growing tissue with a rich blood supply, making its removal inherently painful regardless of local anaesthetic use. Restraint of prey species like deer causes profound fear and physiological stress responses beyond the local wound. The welfare cost of velvet removal is real and documented. Given the limited evidence for the health benefits of the resulting product, the welfare burden falls heavily against the practice. Consumer pressure and regulatory reform in importing countries are the most effective levers for change.