Castration and dehorning are routinely performed on cattle in most beef and dairy operations, yet analgesia is still not universally required despite clear evidence that these procedures cause significant pain.
The failure to require pain relief for routine cattle husbandry procedures represents one of the most straightforward welfare improvements available in livestock production. The pain of castration and dehorning is well-characterized, effective analgesics are available at modest cost, and their use does not affect production economics significantly. The primary barrier is habit and regulatory inaction rather than technical or economic constraint. Mandatory analgesia requirements — as adopted in some jurisdictions — create a simple, enforceable standard. Polled cattle genetics offer an even better solution by eliminating the need for dehorning through selective breeding.