Cattle castration is performed on millions of beef calves annually to improve meat quality and reduce aggression, but is routinely done without analgesia despite available and effective pain relief options.
Castration without analgesia causes acute and prolonged pain that is well-documented in veterinary literature. Rubber ring castration in older calves causes ischemic necrosis — tissue death from loss of blood supply — over several days, producing the most prolonged pain of common livestock procedures. The economic argument against pain relief is weak: analgesics cost under 2 dollars per calf and may improve weight gain through reduced post-procedure stress. The barrier is habit and lack of regulatory requirements rather than genuine economic constraint.