Dehorning is performed on millions of cattle annually, and the manner in which it is done has profound implications for the welfare of animals undergoing this painful procedure.
Dehorning without pain relief causes intense acute pain, stress responses, and prolonged behavioral signs of discomfort in cattle. Even with pain relief, the procedure causes acute nociception that cannot be entirely eliminated. The widespread practice of dehorning without adequate analgesia represents one of the most significant and preventable sources of pain in cattle farming. The adoption of polled genetics, which breed cattle without horns genetically, would eliminate the need for this painful procedure entirely.