Dehorning and disbudding of cattle without adequate analgesia causes severe and avoidable pain that is one of the most common welfare failures in dairy and beef production.
Dehorning without analgesia causes one of the most intense and preventable pains routinely inflicted on farm animals. Research consistently demonstrates that calves undergoing hot-iron disbudding without local anaesthesia show behaviour and physiological stress responses indicating severe pain. The duration of pain after disbudding extends for hours to days when only local blocks are used, and longer without. The practice is performed on millions of cattle annually in countries where it is entirely legal without pain relief. The technology to eliminate the need for dehorning through polled genetics exists and is improving. The continued widespread practice of pain-free dehorning is an ethical choice with a clear welfare alternative.