Many routine cattle farming procedures cause significant pain. Evidence-based pain management protocols for disbudding, castration, dehorning and lameness treatment significantly improve welfare.
Cattle pain management remains inconsistent despite clear evidence that procedures cause pain and effective, licensed treatments are available. A calf disbudded without local anaesthetic experiences acute pain during the procedure and ongoing sensitisation for days afterwards. A cow with untreated post-lameness treatment pain heals more slowly and has reduced production - the welfare and economic cases for NSAID use are aligned. The barrier is partly cost (NSAIDs add 50-100p per treatment) and partly culture - a tradition of stoicism about farm animal pain that is gradually being eroded by welfare science and veterinary education.