Farm Animals

Farmed Cattle Pain Management at Procedures

Routine farm procedures including dehorning, castration, and ear tagging cause pain that is inadequately managed in most commercial cattle systems.

Key Facts

Local anaesthesia significantly reduces acute pain from dehorning and castration
NSAIDs reduce post-operative pain lasting hours to days
Pain management is required by law for some procedures in some countries but not universally
Farmer attitudes to animal pain are a significant barrier to uptake of analgesia
Veterinary promotion of pain management protocols improves uptake on farms

Welfare Considerations

Cattle undergoing painful procedures without analgesia suffer entirely preventable acute and post-operative pain. The evidence base for the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of pain management is strong. Regulatory requirements for analgesia at painful procedures and veterinary practice promotion are the primary drivers of change.

What You Can Do

Support regulations requiring pain management for all painful cattle procedures
Advocate for veterinary promotion of pain management protocols on farms
Choose dairy and beef products from farms with documented analgesic use policies