Dehorning is one of the most painful routine procedures performed on cattle. Adequate pain relief and genetic alternatives to horned breeds can dramatically reduce suffering.
Dehorning without adequate analgesia causes severe acute pain followed by days of persistent discomfort. Legal requirements for pain relief are often not followed in practice, representing a systemic welfare failure. Transition to polled genetics offers a permanent solution that eliminates the welfare cost entirely. In the interim, mandatory sedation, local anaesthetic and NSAID protocols should be standard practice.