Dehorning cattle causes significant pain and is one of the most common painful procedures in the industry. Appropriate pain management and the use of polled genetics can improve welfare outcomes.
Dehorning causes significant acute pain through the nervous innervation of the horn base. Cattle undergoing dehorning without analgesia show clear pain behaviors including reduced feed intake, abnormal postures, and elevated stress hormones for days after the procedure. The regulatory requirement for pain relief in the UK is not always reflected in practice, and in the US, most dehorning occurs without analgesia. The development of genetically polled dairy breeds removes the need for the procedure entirely, representing the most welfare-positive solution. The adoption of polled genetics is accelerating but requires industry commitment and economic restructuring.