Routine livestock procedures including castration, dehorning and tail docking cause significant pain that is inadequately controlled in most commercial farming contexts worldwide.
The routine performance of painful procedures without adequate analgesia represents one of the most prevalent and preventable sources of acute animal suffering in agriculture. The procedures are manageable, the analgesics are available, and the evidence for their effectiveness is overwhelming — the gap between knowledge and practice reflects inadequate regulatory requirements, insufficient veterinary engagement and economic short-termism. Closing this welfare gap requires a combination of mandatory pain relief regulations, veterinary advocacy and economic incentive programmes that demonstrate the business case for analgesic use.