Castration of male livestock is widely practised for behavioural and production reasons. Welfare considerations around pain management and alternatives deserve attention across all livestock species.
Livestock castration is a welfare harm justified in some contexts by production and management benefits, but this justification does not extend to performing the procedure without appropriate analgesia. The evidence that castration causes significant pain in all livestock species is unambiguous. The availability of effective, affordable analgesia (local anaesthetic and NSAIDs) means there is no welfare justification for castration without pain management. Banding — extended ischaemic pain over days — has a particularly poor welfare profile compared with surgical castration with analgesia. Where immunocastration is available and appropriate, it offers a welfare-superior alternative to surgical methods.