Dehorning and disbudding are performed on millions of cattle annually, but the majority receive inadequate or no pain relief despite clear scientific evidence of significant pain.
Dehorning and disbudding are a routine welfare failure: millions of animals experience significant pain from procedures that can be made substantially less painful at minimal cost. The evidence for pain in these procedures is unambiguous — behavioral, physiological, and neurological indicators all confirm it. Yet routine provision of appropriate analgesia remains the exception rather than the norm in many countries. Breeding for polled genetics offers a long-term solution that eliminates the need for the procedure entirely.